


Dirty Dancing

by supernatural9917



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bisexual Castiel (Supernatural), Bisexual Dean Winchester, Classism, Dancing, Discussion of Abortion, F/M, Grumpy Dean Winchester, Happy Ending, Lucius is an Ayn Rand-loving arsehole, M/M, Pregnant Lisa Braeden, SPNMBB2020, Smut, everyone assumes Dean is the baby daddy but he isn't, home abortion gone wrong, inspired by Dirty Dancing, mention of abortion protestors, mild homophobia, team switch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23896777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernatural9917/pseuds/supernatural9917
Summary: In the summer of 2001, 18-year-old Castiel Novak goes to Chip Harrington's Charming Acres resort in North Carolina with his family. Designed in the style of the mid-twentieth century Borscht Belt resorts of the Catskills, he's resigned himself to being stuck spending three weeks playing badminton, learning to foxtrot, and pretending to romance the resort owner's daughter for the sake of his parents' nostalgia before heading off to Stanford in August.What he didn't expect was for Dean Winchester, resident dance instructor and bad boy, to (literally and figuratively) sweep him off his feet.
Relationships: Antonia Bevell/Arthur Ketch, Cain/Colette Mullen, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Hael/Lucifer (Lucius), implied Toni Bevell/Dean Winchester, minor Toni Bevell/Lucius, past Lisa/Lucius, unrequited Castiel/April
Comments: 38
Kudos: 110
Collections: SPN Media Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> At last I can share this! Given Dean's love of Swayze and his use of the movie's most famous quote in canon, I was always disappointed that there isn't more _Dirty Dancing_ fic for Destiel. As often happens when a writer can't find the thing they want to read, I decided to just write it myself. I was exceptionally lucky to be claimed by the amazing [Goblin](https://heart-eyescastiel.tumblr.com/), whom I coincidentally met at JIB last year, and who is a very sweet bean and incredible artist. The art is a lil bit (a lot bit) NSFW ;-) Please give the [art post](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23912158) lots of love! Rebloggable SFW version [here](https://heart-eyescastiel.tumblr.com/post/616749649042309120/i-just-cant-resist-my-favourite-childhood-movies+)!
> 
> Thank you to the mods for running such a fun challenge! Hope you all enjoy this, and that it inspires more Swayze movie fics in future; do it for Dean!

_July 2001_

Castiel Novak stared out the window from the backseat of the family car as they sped along the pleasantly tree-lined US-74. He had turned eighteen nine months earlier, and in another two, he would be moving to Palo Alto to start his freshman year at Stanford. In between, however, he had somehow managed to get stuck with an 'old-fashioned' family vacation with his parents, Cain and Colette, and his brat of an older sister, Hael. He had assumed that would mean a trip to Coney Island or something, but no; when Cain said old-fashioned, really meant it.

They were off to a place called Charming Acres, an all-inclusive resort in the style they used to have in the 1950s and 60s; the very kind, in fact, where young Cain Novak had met Miss Colette Mullen in 1963 when they were both sixteen. They kept in touch by way of letters between the summers that their respective families spent at the (now long gone) Kellerman Resort in the Catskills. Colette attended Mount Holyoke while Cain studied at nearby Amherst, and they married after graduation so Colette could join Cain in Chicago when he moved there for medical school.

They eventually settled in nearby Pontiac and tried to start their family for nearly a decade Eventually despairing of ever having children, one night at the age of thirty-two, Colette had a dream of two angels telling her to keep the faith. Hael was born nine months later, named after one of the angels in the dream, and Castiel, after the other, came along soon after Colette's thirty-fifth birthday.

Most of Castiel's friends growing up had parents a good decade younger than the Novaks, and he had no doubt that none of them were having to spend three entire weeks of their post-high school, pre-college summer at some sad attempt to recapture a rose-tinted vision of 'the good old days' as defined by old white guys. As a liberal lefty bisexual (not that his parents were necessarily aware of the last part) who had proudly (though in hindsight, somewhat regretfully) cast his first ever vote for Ralph Nader, Castiel couldn't be happier that it was a new millennium and not the 1960s, but he couldn't bring himself to complain out loud about the plan. This was the first vacation his dad had agreed to take in years, and if he wanted to spend it up a small mountain in the godforsaken southwest corner of North Carolina, Castiel wasn't going to argue- especially considering it would be their last time together as a family before he moved halfway across the country in August.

Castiel knew that Charming Acres was the brainchild of Chip Harrington, one of Cain's former patients. He had owned a hugely successful chain of fifties-themed diners and malt shops across the Midwest until the massive heart attack that Cain had prevented from being fatal drove him to sell up and use his newfound millions to invest in this resort. Castiel also knew that it was designed to be like the Borscht Belt resorts of Cain and Colette's youth. Even so, the reality of the place was a shock to the system. It was like something out of a Normal Rockwell painting, but more artificial and significantly less soothing.

Cain had barely pulled up to the valet station in front of the main hotel building when a bald man came jogging out the main door waving cheerfully.

'Dr Novak! You made it!' he said, pulling Cain into a hug the second he was out of the car.

'Chip, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Cain.' He turned and indicated the rest of the Novaks as they climbed out of the car. 'Let me introduce my family. My wife, Colette, my daughter Hael, and my son Castiel.'

Chip kissed Colette's hand and did the same for Hael before shaking Castiel's enthusiastically. 'Welcome, welcome! I'm so glad I finally managed to talk the doc here into visiting my little resort. I want you kids to know, if it wasn't for your dad, I'd be standing here dead. So anything you need, anything at all, you just ask.' He snapped his fingers at an extremely tall and good-looking young man in a Charming Acres t-shirt and jacket. 'Sam, get the bags.'

'Yes, Mr Harrington,' Sam replied and hurried over with a trolley to stack their suitcases.

'I've arranged for you to have one of our luxury bungalows. Three bedrooms, jacuzzi on the deck, the works. You can have your meals in the restaurant or have them delivered, and any activities that you want to try are all half-price for the whole family. We've got golf, archery, canoeing, volleyball, croquet, art classes, dance classes, just about anything you can think of! And since this is the first weekend of the season's last three-week session, we got a special show with dinner tonight, a ballroom dance exhibition with our dance teachers. It's going to be just stellar!'

'Well then, I suppose we can't miss it, can we?' Cain replied.

'Marvellous, marvellous! I'll let Sam take you to your bungalow. Remember, you need _anything_ , just give me a call!' Chip waved again and returned to the hotel, presumably to make arrangements for the aforementioned show.

Castiel rushed to the trunk of the car to help Sam with the luggage, knowing that Hael's case was deceptively heavy thanks in part to the ten pairs of shoes inside. Sam shot him a dimpled grin as they hefted it onto the trolley together, and Castiel's heart fluttered a bit.

'Thanks, man. You want a job here?'

Castiel chuckled. 'I probably should be working, to be honest. I start college in the fall, and it's not going to be cheap.'

'Oh yeah?' Sam perked up. 'Me too! Where are you going?'

'Stanford.'

'No way! So am I! Pre-law!'

'What a coincidence! I'm doing the major in democracy, development and rule of law. I want to go into the Peace Corps afterwards.'

'That's amazing, Castiel. Hey, do you have e-mail? Then we can keep in touch if we don't run into each other on campus.' Castiel happily gave Sam his Hotmail address, and Sam promised to e-mail him next time he was on a computer. 'They don't have internet here except in the main office, and grunts like me aren't really allowed in there. But there's an internet café in Murphy we sometimes use on our days off.'

They continued chatting as Sam pushed their luggage to the bungalow, and Castiel felt a lot less concerned about whether he'd be able to have a good time on this vacation.

**********

They got settled into the luxurious bungalow, and Hael immediately started in on her beauty routine for dinner. Knowing this would take a while, Castiel announced that he was going up to the main hotel building to look around. The mid-afternoon heat didn't seem to be stopping anyone from partaking in the many outdoor activities of the resort, with a particular concentration around the pool, so the hotel was all but empty. Castiel walked around the balcony that circled the dining room, where Chip Harrington was talking to the wait staff. Curious about how the resort was run, he tucked himself into the doorway to listen.

'There are two kinds of help here. You waiters are all college guys, and I went to Duke, Emory, Vanderbilt to hire you. And why did I do that? Why?' He looked around, but on seeing their blank faces, he rolled his eyes. 'I shouldn't have to remind you. This is a family place. That means you keep your fingers out of the water, hair out of the soup... and show the goddamn daughters a good time. _All_ the daughters,' he added sternly, 'even the dogs. Schlepp 'em out to the terrace, show 'em the stars, give 'em the summer romance of their dreams. Got it?'

Their mumbled assent was drowned out by the sound of a large group of people, wearing Charming Acres t-shirts like Sam's, coming into the room from another door chatting and laughing. At the head of the group was a handsome young man in jeans and a plain green t-shirt, leather jacket casually tossed over his shoulder and shades till on his face. He walked right past Chip with barely a glance.

'Hey, hold it!' Chip called out, and the guy stopped, took off his sunglasses and turned back with an insolent air that had Chip scowling. 'Well if it isn't the entertainment staff,' he spat out. 'Listen, wise ass, you got your own rules. Dance with the daughters. Teach 'em the mambo, the cha-cha, anything they pay for. That's it. That's where it ends. No funny business, no conversations, and keep your hands off!'

'Sure thing, Mr H,' the guy replied smoothly. 'We'll save all our hands-on stuff for the sons.' His entourage laughed, with one guy even giving him a high-five, and Castiel found himself hoping that this wasn't just a joke- he sure as hell wouldn't mind some hands-on stuff from this denim-wrapped dream.

'Save your perversions for your own time, Winchester,' a stuck-up looking blond waiter sneered. 'Just remember what you can and can't lay your hands on. I'd ask if you could keep that _straight_ , but…' He shrugged, and his friends chuckled maliciously.

Winchester walked right up to the guy, stopping just inches from his face. 'Just put your pickle on everybody's plate, and leave the _hard_ stuff to me, sweetheart,' he replied, making a kissy-face before walking away and leaving the guy red-faced.

Castiel grinned, staying only long enough to watch Winchester's bowlegged retreat into the backstage area for confirmation that he looked as good on the way out as he did on the way in.

He definitely did.

**********

Chip ushered the family into the dining room, leading them to the best table. 'Sit down, I'll get you some wine.' He rushed off and came back with the same waiter who had faced off with Dean earlier, this time wearing a simpering grin instead of a sneer. 'This is Dr and Mrs Novak. Hael, Castiel, this is your waiter, Lucius Shurley. Duke Medical School. These people are my special guests, give them anything they want.,' he said to Luke before turning back to the family. 'Enjoy!'

'Thanks, Chip,' Cain smiled. 'So, Lucius, Duke is a great school. I nearly went there myself but ended up going to Chicago.'

'Oh, Chicago is great,' Lucius said enthusiastically, 'but I'm just too much of a southern boy, I guess. My mama wanted me to stay closer to home.' Castiel rolled his eyes at the exaggerated accent that hadn't been present just a couple of hours earlier, but Hael was eating it up, her eyes following Lucius as he poured their wine and then sauntered off to the next table.

Dinner was sumptuous, and Colette looked around at their leftovers with a sigh. 'Look at all this leftover food. Are there still starving children in Southeast Asia?'

'Try Palestine, mom,' Castiel corrected.

'Right. Palestine.'

Cain smiled up at Lucius, who came to collect their plates. 'Lucius, Castiel wants his leftover pot roast sent to Palestine, so anything you don't finish, wrap up. Chip, our baby's gonna change the world.'

Chip smiled and turned to Hael. 'And what are you going to do, missy?'

'She's going to decorate it,' Castiel replied for her, earning him a smack to the arm from his sister.

'She already does,' Lucius said with a wink, and Hael's blush made Castiel roll his eyes.

'Oh, doc, let me introduce you to my daughters,' Chip said as two young women walked up to the table. 'This is my eldest, Sunny. She's married to Conrad, our general manager. And this is my baby, April. She's going into her sophomore year at CalPoly in Pomona, studying hospitality management. Going to take over the family biz someday, right honey?' April smiled, ducking her head modestly.

'Castiel is going to California for college too,' Cain replied. 'He starts at Stanford in the fall.'

'Sounds like you two would have a lot to talk about,' Chip beamed. 'And just in time for the dancing to start!'

Castiel took the hint and invited April to dance but found her company less than enticing. Once he had clarified that he wasn't going to become a doctor like his dad, her interest was substantially diminished, but it was obvious that their respective fathers expected them to hit it off, so they kept dancing. Suddenly, the tempo of the music changed, and April's eyes lit up.

'Mambo! Come on!' she said eagerly as she pulled him closer to the stage. This was apparently the ballroom dancing demonstration Chip had mentioned before, because there was the guy he had seen earlier dancing with a lovely brunette in a way that the shuffling discoordination of the resort guests couldn't match. Castiel watched in awe as they spun each other around with perfect grace, Dean's muscles flexing as he lifted her in the air with ease and precision.

'Who are they?' he asked, and April's expression turned a bit sour.

'They're the dance people, they're here to keep the guests happy. The exhibition part is only supposed to be for the first half of the song, all this showing off doesn't sell dance lessons.' Castiel couldn't agree with that- if the dance lessons gave him even a small chance of being able to dance like that, he'd get them every day. April met her father's eyes across the room, and he nodded and made a cutting gesture towards the dancers. Winchester pursed his lips in a sign of displeasure but spun his partner out into the crowd to entice one of the male guests onto the floor, while he did the same with one of the women. 'Come on, let's join in,' April said, tugging him back into a dance position.

Castiel danced half-heartedly, keeping his eye on Winchester as much as he could. His partner, an elegant blonde woman, seemed to be enjoying his company a little too much, but before she could full-on grope him, he passed her off to another partner and picked a new lady to dance with. Regardless of who was in his arms, he never missed a step or stopped smiling. Castiel was smitten.

'You kids having fun?' Cain asked as he neared them with Colette in a close hold.

'Yes, Castiel is a lovely dancer,' April replied. 'But I'm afraid I have to excuse myself. I'm in charge of the games tonight. Would you like to help me get things started?' she asked Castiel, batting her eyelashes.

'Of course he would,' Cain answered for him.

And that's how Castiel found himself getting sawed in half by a washed-up middle-aged magician called The Incredible Jay. As soon as the routine was finished, he made his excuses to April and escaped the stuffy atmosphere of the hotel. In the distance he could just about make out the sound of music playing, so he followed it out past the golf course, until he came to a footbridge that divided the main resort from the staff quarters.

'Castiel! What are you doing out here?' he heard a familiar voice call out and turned to see Sam smiling and carrying four huge watermelons. 'You really shouldn't be out here, no guests allowed.'

'Let me help you carry one of those,' Castiel replied, taking a watermelon and ignoring the warning. 'What's up there?'

Sam looked around to make sure they were alone. 'Your parents wouldn't like it, and Mr Harrington would probably kill me. Wouldn't you rather just go back and romance the bossman's daughter some more?' Castiel threatened to throw the watermelon back into Sam's arms. 'OK, OK,' he laughed. 'Can you keep a secret?' Castiel nodded, and Sam started walking, inclining his head in invitation. 'Come on then.'

The music got louder as they approached the house that served as the dining hall for staff, and when Sam bumped open the door with his hip, Castiel's eyes widened at the incredible sight. The tables had all been pushed to the side and the floor was filled with couples, dancing in a way that made the foxtrot Castiel had been partaking in seem absurdly tame. Their bodies were pushing together, hips grinding lewdly, hands roaming everywhere, and in the centre were the couple who had done the demonstration earlier, the pretty brunette and the guy Lucius had called Winchester, putting on just as much of a show as before. Castiel was again enraptured at the fluidity of their movements, barely noticing when the watermelon was taken out of his hands.

'That's my brother, Dean, he got me the job here' Sam said, breaking Castiel out of his reverie, 'and that's Lisa.'

'They look wonderful together.'

'Yeah, you'd think they were a couple, wouldn't you?'

'Aren't they?' Castiel asked, surprise tinged with a bit of hope in his voice.

'Nah, not since we were kids. She got knocked up when they were teenagers and me and Dean have helped look after her son Ben since her folks kicked her out.'

'What a horrible thing for her parents to do,' Castiel replied angrily.

Sam shrugged. 'That's Kansas for you.' Before he could say any more, the song finished, and Dean noticed the two of them talking. He stalked over with a scowl.

'What's he doing here?' he asked Sam, indicating Castiel with a dismissive wave of his hand.

'He's with me.'

'I carried a watermelon,' Castiel added. Dean snorted and turned away to say something to Lisa, leaving Castiel to kick himself at his complete lack of smoothness. 'I carried a watermelon? Jesus.'

'So do you wanna try it?'

Castiel's head snapped up as he realised Dean was speaking to him now, a cheeky grin on his face. 'Um… sure.' He took Dean's outstretched hand and let himself be led to the centre of the floor.

'Bend your knees,' Dean instructed, pushing Castiel's shoulders down. He began swivelling his hips and Castiel tried to mirror the movement. 'Watch. Watch my eyes. Good.' His hands went to Castiel's hips, guiding them into a looser roll. 'That's better. Good. Now roll this way.' They went in the opposite direction, and once Castiel had the hang of it, Dean pulled him in close, one leg between Castiel's thighs as they ground against each other to the beat. Castiel's arms went up to Dean's shoulders, and Dean ran his fingers down from Castiel's elbow back to his waist, pushing him down into a dip before pulling him back up again. Their faces were close together, breaths mingling, and Castiel had never been so turned on his life. Just as he started worrying that Dean would notice the situation in his khakis, Dean spun him around and danced away to the final chords of the song, leaving Castiel breathing hard in the middle of the floor.

**********

Castiel spent the first full week of their stay either reading, watching the group dance lessons Dean and Lisa taught, or at the hotel's gym and pool fantasising about Dean while trying (only about fifty percent successfully) to avoid April Harrington. Sunday found him sunning himself on a lounger as the rest of his family participated in several of the activities constantly being announced on the resort's tannoy. His parents seemed primarily interested in tennis and golf; Hael was doing some kind of makeover class being taught by Lisa on the patio when she wasn't flirting with Lucius, and when the waiter whispered something in her ear and walked away, she waved over at Castiel.

'Can you cover for me with mom and dad tonight?' she asked before he'd so much as said hello. 'Tell them I went to lie down.'

'Where are you going?'

'The golf course. There's a pretty view from the first tee.' He nodded and she patted his cheek. 'Thanks, baby bro.'

The participants of the makeover drifted away as Lisa packed up the hair and makeup tools, the customer service smile now gone from her face. Castiel walked up to her timidly. 'Um, hi.'

'Oh. Hi. Castiel, right?' she said in a bland monotone.

'Yeah. Um, I just wanted to say, I think you're a wonderful dancer.'

'Thanks. It's pretty much all I'm capable of doing to feed my kid, so lucky I'm good at it, I guess,' she snapped.

'I envy you.' Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say, as she snapped her bag shut with a huff and stalked off. Castiel frowned, wondering what he'd done wrong as he walked back to the bungalow to get ready for dinner.

With the weather so nice, dinner was al fresco on the lawn by the gazebo, which itself had become the dance floor for the night. Castiel stood with his parents at the side, still hoping to avoid the younger Harrington daughter. Chip bustled his way through to say hello.

'Aren't you dancing, Doc?'

'We're waiting for a waltz,' Cain replied good-naturedly. They watched as the cha-cha dancers made their way across the floor, and Castiel tried not to blush when he saw Dean with the blonde woman from the first night pass near them.

'Hi, Chip. Aren't my dance lessons starting to pay off?' the woman said in a snooty-sound British accent.

'You look great, Toni! Terrific!' He turned to the Novaks and whispered conspiratorially, 'That's Toni Bevell-Ketch, one of the bungalow bunnies. That's what we call the women who stay here all week. The husbands only come up on weekends. Arthur Ketch is a big card player. He had to miss out this weekend, but next time he's up he'll join our game.' He turned back to Toni. 'Arthur coming up next Friday?'

'Friday,' she agreed before Dean swept her away. Their progress was stopped by April, who tugged on Dean's arm to get his attention.

'Where's Lisa?'

Dean scowled down at her. 'What do you mean where's Lisa? She's taking a break. You know, like she's legally allowed to take?'

'Fine. Just as long as it's not an all-night break.' She walked away with a flip of her hair, eyes lighting up when she saw Castiel. 'Hey Castiel. Do you want to take a walk?'

'Uh, sure.' April took his arm and led him towards the golf course. 'Where are we going?'

'Just away from the noise and crowd. The golf course is nice at this time of night.' She ran her fingers down Castiel's arm, and he couldn't help thinking how much less pleasant it was than when Dean had done it. 'You know, all of this is going to be mine eventually. My sister isn't really interested, but I've got plans to really build our portfolio. I'm already making a name for myself in high society; some people call me the catch of the county.' Castiel made a non-committal noise, keeping to himself the question of whether that was anything to do with her dead fish eyes. Luckily, before she could do any more awkward bragging, their attention was caught by the sound of raised voices.

'Oh, come on, like you're some kind of virginal princess,' a man said snidely, and Castiel recognised Lucius Shurley as he came through the trees walking briskly alongside Hael.

'Virgin or not, it's still my decision about whether you get to put your hand up my skirt, asshole.' She stormed off more quickly, and Lucius threw his hands up in the air before running after her.

'I'm sorry you had to see that, Castiel,' April said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. 'Sometimes in this world you see things you don't want to see.' She probably intended for it to sound deep, so Castiel just let the silence linger as if he were thinking hard and not just rolling his eyes. 'Anyway, are you hungry? Let's get a snack.' She dragged him away towards the house without waiting for an answer.

'Are you sure we're supposed to be here?' he asked as they walked through the darkened kitchen.

'Of course. So, what do you want? There's some brownies, I think there's some pies in here somewhere…' As she dug around in the dessert fridge, Castiel looked around, and spotted movement on the floor by the wall. There was Lisa, shaking and crying; she met his eyes with a frightened expression, fingers to her lips to beg him not to expose her.

'Actually, April, I don't really want anything. I should get back to my family, Hael looked kind of upset.'

'Oh, sure. Let's go then.' He put his hand at the small of her back to make sure she stayed turned away from Lisa and quickly led her outside. The split off at the patio, and he ran down to the lawn, where he found Sam bussing the tables.

'Sam,' he whispered. 'I just saw Lisa in the kitchen, she looks really upset.'

'Oh shit,' he muttered, and the two of them sprinted to the gazebo to get Dean. Sam whispered something in his ear, and they ran dashed back to the house, Castiel on their heels.

'Why's _he_ here?' Dean asked brusquely.

'In case April comes back,' Sam explained. 'Lisa will be OK, right? She wouldn't do anything stupid?' Dean didn't reply, just ran faster.

'Is something wrong with her?' Castiel asked.

'She's pregnant again,' Sam explained.

'Dammit, Sammy!' Dean snarled.

'So what's he going to do about it?'

Dean stopped and turned back, right into Castiel's face. 'What's _he_ going to do about it? Because you just assume it's mine, right?'

'No, that's not what I…' Castiel stammered, but Dean had already rushed to Lisa's side.

'Hey, sweetie, it's OK, Dean's here. It's all gonna be fine.' He tenderly picked her up in a bridal hold and carried her out of the kitchen. Sam and Castiel followed him to Lisa's small cabin. Once she was settled on her bed, Dean began pacing. 'What do you think you're doing? You're in trouble, you talk to me.'

'I can take care of it, Dean.'

'Clearly,' Dean said sarcastically, pursing his lips so tightly that his dimples showed. Castiel forced his gaze away from the appealing sight. 'What happened tonight?'

'I told him. One guess how he took it.' She shook her head sadly. 'He wouldn't even give me the money for the clinic.'

'I'll cover it, don't worry about that.'

'It's 500 bucks, I'm not taking what's left of your salary, Dean. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I went this morning, but there's a seventy-two-hour waiting period in North Carolina and twenty-four hours everywhere else. I burned all my paid days off taking care of Ben when he was sick, and the only time I'm not working here is the night of the Chattanooga show.' Dean practically growled, but Lisa put a steadying hand on his arm. 'It's OK. I can get some pills, one of the girls knows a guy.'

'No way, that can't be safe. We'll cancel the Chattanooga show.'

'Without that money, I can't afford the pills or the clinic,' Lisa argued. 'There's no other way.'

'Surely there's something that can be done,' Castiel said, and three pairs of eyes looked at him with varying degrees of disdain.

'Castiel, right?' Lisa asked. 'Well, Castiel, you don't know shit about my problems, so how about you shut up?'

'He knows,' Sam said sheepishly.

'Dammit, Sam, now he'll tell his little management girlfriend and I'll get fired! Why not skywrite it? Lisa got knocked up by Lucius the creep.'

Castiel frowned. 'First of all, April is not my girlfriend. I don't even like her. And I'd never tell anyone about this. But if it's Lucius, why wouldn't he give you the money? I'm sure he has it.'

Lisa snorted. 'I'll let you figure that one out of yourself. Now if you don't mind, I'm tired and I want some sleep.' Dean didn't move, but Sam gently took Castiel by the arm to guide him out of the cabin.

'Sam, maybe if I talked to Lucius, I could convince him to give her the money she needs. Then she could take a day off and go to the clinic.'

'You could try. Maybe he'll listen to you, since you're a guest. But I wouldn't get my hopes up.'

**********

Sam turned out to be right. Castiel confronted Lucius while he was setting the tables in the dining room the next morning. He didn't deny sleeping with Lisa, but he made it clear that he assumed she had slept with half the male staff and was just trying to blackmail him.

'Here's what you've gotta understand, Castiel. Some people count, and some people don't.' He pulled a book out of his back pocket and pushed it into Castiel's hands. 'Read it, you'll learn something.' Castiel rolled his eyes when he saw the dog-eared book was _The Fountainhead_ by Ayn Rand. 'But give it back, because I've got lots of notes in the margins.'

Castiel shoved the book back at Lucius. 'I think you should take this piece of shit book and shove it directly up your ass, but I guess it'll be a tight fit, seeing as how your head is already jammed up there.' He picked up a nearby jug of water and dumped it over Lucius's head. 'Stay away from me, stay away from my sister, or I'll make sure you get fired.'


	2. Chapter 2

'Dad, can I borrow 500 dollars?'

Cain brought his newspaper down sharply. 'That's a lot of money, Castiel. Why do you need it?'

'Somebody I know is in trouble, and you always told me I should help people if I can. I would take it out of my savings, but I can't get to the bank from here. I'll pay you back, I promise.'

Cain frowned and put down his newspaper, clearly concerned. 'Can you tell me what's happening? Maybe I can help.'

Castiel shook his head. 'I can't tell you, I'm sorry. It's really hard for me to say that to you, believe me, but I made a promise.'

'It's not for something illegal, is it?'

Castiel's eyes went wide. 'No, Dad, of course not!'

'That was a stupid thing to ask, forgive me. I'll have it for you before lunch.'

'You're the best, dad.' Castiel gave Cain a hug.

'OK, OK,' Cain chuckled, patting Castiel's back. 'Go have some fun today.'

After a couple of hours of dodging April and trying not to get sunburned, Castiel ran to Lisa's cabin with a wide grin and a fistful of cash. 'Here's the money.'

Sam, Dean and Lisa looked at him with matching shocked expressions. 'You mean Lucius-' Lisa started, but Castiel shook his head.

'No, you were right about that asshole.'

'Then where did you get it?'

Castiel shrugged. 'You said you needed it.'

'Are you for real?' she laughed, clutching the money gratefully.

'Yeah, takes a real saint to ask daddy,' Dean snarked. Lisa's face fell, and she stuck her hand out towards Castiel.

'Thanks, but I can't take it.'

'What? Of course you can take it,' Dean argued.

'It doesn’t matter, Dean. We need to do the Chattanooga show.'

'What's the Chattanooga show?'

'It's a huge annual cabaret show they do. If they don't turn up, they'll lose their slot for next year, and it's a big payday,' Sam explained.

'Can't somebody else fill in?'

'No, genius, nobody else can fill in. The other girls are working and don't have time to learn the routine or go to the show. We're not all here on vacation, capisce?'

Castiel blushed and looked at his shoes. 'Yeah, I capisce.'

'Hey, maybe you could do it, take some time out from working on your tan,' Dean said snidely.

'He probably could,' Sam shrugged. 'He can move.'

'It was a joke, Sam.'

Castiel looked terrified. 'I can barely foxtrot.'

'See, he can barely foxtrot.'

'Dean, you're a strong partner, you can lead anybody,' Lisa chipped in. 'This could work.'

Dean crossed his arms across his chest. 'OK, Cas. Do you want to do a burlesque cabaret dance at Chattanooga's biggest gay club with me?'

'Burlesque? Like, I have to strip?'

'No, you don't,' Lisa replied with a glare at Dean. 'But the outfits are pretty revealing, and the dance is kind of, well…'

'Dirty,' Dean supplied with a smirk. 'And did I mention it's at a gay club? Think you can handle that, Mr Suburbia?'

'I got my first hand job from my high school's quarterback in a gay club bathroom last year, I think I can handle it,' Castiel snapped back with a smitey scowl. Sam and Lisa cracked up, while Dean at least had the decency to blush a little.

'Well… OK then. You willing to shave your legs?'

'Dean, don’t be stupid,' Lisa rolled her eyes. 'He can wear your spare outfit. He'd probably rip mine in half with those shoulders.'

'Can I at least see the routine before I decide?' Castiel asked. Dean and Lisa had some kind of wordless conversation with their eyes, and eventually Dean threw his hands up in defeat.

'Fine. I'll get the tape.' He walked over to the stereo and put on a cassette. He and Lisa took their positions, and a moment later, a sultry, jazzy tune started to play. Castiel watched enthralled as the two of them moved across the floor, their bodies plastered together most of the time, perfectly in synch and incredibly sensual. At the climax of the song, Dean lifted Lisa so that her legs wrapped around his waist, then she leaned back so her head was almost touching the floor while he spun them in a slow circle. As the melody faded out, he pulled her back up, and they finished with their foreheads touching.

How they could dance like that and not be fucking, Castiel had no idea, but as soon as the song ended, they broke apart and Lisa hopped down as if she'd been on a bicycle instead of wrapped around the hottest guy alive. Now Castiel's biggest fear, if he agreed to do this, was how to get through it without getting an embarrassing erection.

'You wanna try it?' Dean offered, extending his hand.

'Um, OK.'

They started slowly, working through the steps on by one with Lisa behind him guiding his hips. It was like some kind of weird, fully-dressed threesome, but luckily his anxiety prevented anything untoward from happening in his pants. Eventually they got through most of the dance, although Dean decided to skip the lift for the time being. The stepped away from each other and Dean let out a frustrated huff.

'Fine. I think you can do it. But we're gonna need to work hard for the next three days. Can you afford to buy up any free lesson slots I've got?'

'Yes. And I can practice early in the morning, and after dinner if you want.' For the first time, Dean looked at Castiel with something other than disdain.

'Well all right then. After the dinner show tonight, meet us back here and we'll work on it some more.'

'OK. Thanks.' Suddenly feeling awkward, Castiel turned to leave, but Lisa grabbed his wrist.

'Hey, Castiel… thank you. For everything. You're a good person.'

'Oh, um, thanks. And you're welcome.' He ducked out before his blush could embarrass him any further.

Realising he was already late for dinner, he sprinted back to the main house. His arrival startled one of the other guests, Maggie Stark, who dropped her open purse, spilling out various cosmetics, hair products, several items of jewellery, and a few wallets on the ground.

'Oh, I'm so sorry Mrs Stark! Let me help you.' Castiel scooped up some of the tiny bottles and compacts while Mrs Stark grabbed the rest.

'Thank you, that's so kind of you. I'm so clumsy.'

'Everything OK, darling?' her husband Don asked, popping his head back out from the dining room.

'Fine, I just dropped my purse. This young man was just helping me.'

'Thanks, kid. Here you go, for your trouble.' Mr Stark handed Castiel a twenty-dollar bill, then took his wife's arm and led her to the dining room without a backward glance.

'Uh, thanks, I guess.' With a shrug, Castiel followed them in to join his family for dinner.

**********

After dinner, Castiel declared that he was going for a walk, then went straight to Lisa's cabin for his first official rehearsal with Dean. Sam was working in the kitchen, but Dean and Lisa were both there and ready for him. They went slowly through each section of the choreography with Lisa behind him again to guide his body through the steps. She was amazingly patient with him, which was more than could be said for Dean.

'No! You step on the two!'

'Relax.'

'Breathe.'

'Frame.'

'No, start again.'

'Don't lean back. Lift up. Shoulders down.'

'Ow, that's my foot.'

'Again. Concentrate.'

'Don't put your foot down.'

After a litany of corrections that got sharper each time, Dean finally threw his hands up in the air. 'Jesus! Are you even trying here?'

'Dean,' Lisa admonished, 'he's doing his best. He hasn't spent a lifetime dancing with you like I have. Cut him some slack.'

'I would if there was any slack to cut. But we're performing this in public in three freakin' days.'

Lisa rolled her eyes. 'You're such a drama queen. It's going to be fine, as long as you don't scare Castiel off with your stupid temper.'

'I'll be fine, I have a thick skin,' Castiel assured her, and he got a warm smile from her in return.

'His bark is worse than his bite, I promise.'

'I'm still here, you know,' Dean said sarcastically, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes to affirm his drama queen status.

'I've seen how gentle he is with you and Sam,' Castiel replied to Lisa, ignoring Dean completely. He sighed deeply and let his shoulders fall but gave Lisa a surreptitious wink to make it clear he was messing around. 'He's clearly capable of empathy, he just doesn't want to waste it on me.' To her credit, Lisa kept a straight face, managing to even look sympathetic and pat Castiel's arm.

'Hey, come on, man, that's not… look, I'm sorry I've been harsh, I'm just worried about Lisa's situation and keeping this gig and everything,' Dean said in a substantially more placating tone of voice. 'I'll try to-' He broke off when he saw Castiel's smirk finally crack the façade and couldn't help but grin himself. 'You little shit. You're fucking with me.'

_If only_ , Castiel let himself think. 'Duh. I may be younger than you, but I'm not a helpless kid. I just need a bit more actual instruction and a little less just yelling at me. Capisce?'

Dean outright laughed at that. 'Yeah, Cas, I capisce.'

The rehearsal went more smoothly after that, and by the time he had to go back to his bungalow, Castiel had the first half of the choreography pretty well memorised.

The second half turned out to be a little trickier. Their moves got more intense and sensual as the song progressed, and Castiel had to think of the most disgusting things he could imagine to keep from spending the entire time hard as a rock. It didn't help that today Dean was wearing only dance leggings and no shirt, and they were alone in the dance studio. Being so up close and personal with Dean in that state was proving to be a serious challenge, and he found that he couldn't concentrate on both the dance steps and not having an erection at the same time; the result being that Dean was getting increasingly frustrated again. After the fifth time that Castiel missed his step, Dean growled and shoved him away to stop the tape.

'What the fuck, dude? You were doing much better yesterday!'

'I'm sorry. I'm just nervous.'

'You're doing fine when you concentrate, but your head seems to be somewhere else half the time,' Dean explained in a gentler tone. 'Tell me what's going on.'

'It's embarrassing, OK?' Castiel snapped. 'I'm not used to being this close to someone and moving like that.' He could feel how red his cheeks were, and he just prayed that Dean would understand without him having to explain more directly.

Luckily, comprehension dawned on Dean's face after a couple of seconds. 'Oh, right. You're afraid of popping a boner.'

'Dean! Jesus,' Castiel grumbled, but didn't contradict him.

'Dude, who cares? It's a fucking burlesque dance at a gay club. Hell, we'll probably get better tips if you pop a boner. The only reason I don't have one is I jerked off right before you got here.'

'You… what?' Castiel spluttered, his face nearing a shade of purple by now.

Dean seemed to realise what he'd admitted and began stammering himself. 'Uh, it's just standard, you know, not because I'm like creeping on you or anything, like I wasn't jerking off _because_ of you or anything, it's just completely normal to get, you know, excited, when you're dancing like that, it's just a natural reaction, so to avoid it, you just, take care of things, you know.' He finally took a breath, but Castiel was just staring at him with wide eyes. 'Look, uh, it's not a big deal if you do, uh,' he continued, popping a finger straight up to mimic an erection, 'but if you want to go have a, um, pre-emptive strike in the bathroom, you know, go for it or whatever.'

'I, um, yes, I'll just go… do that,' Castiel mumbled, and sprinted for the bathroom. It didn't take him long to get hard and thinking of performing their dance moves together completely naked had him coming into a handful of toilet paper embarrassingly quickly. He took his time cleaning up and cooling down, not wanting Dean to know about his brief lasting power, but eventually he had to square his shoulders and step back out into the studio. Dean looked a bit flushed with his tights slightly askew at the waist, and his inability to make eye contact made Castiel think he wasn't the only one who had taken a personal moment just then. The thought that Dean might also be affected by their proximity gave him a bit more confidence, and he stood up a little straighter. 'Thank you, I'm ready to try again now.'

An hour later, he had the second half of the dance almost perfect, minus the lift, which Dean didn't want to do yet. He was just starting to think that he would need another round in the bathroom when there was a knock on the studio door followed by the snooty blonde woman from the other night walking in.

'Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were still in another lesson,' she said to Dean, eyeing the two of them up with a predatory gleam in her eye.

Dean quickly stepped away from Castiel and stopped the music. 'It's fine, we're done. Good job, Castiel, see you next time.'

'Uh, yes, thank you, Dean.' Castiel grabbed his jacket and pulled out his wallet to get cash. 'Here you go. Enjoy your lesson, Mrs-'

'Toni,' she finished sharply. She walked over to Dean and put a hand on his shoulder. 'And I shall.' Dean clenched his jaw but didn't say anything. 'Hurry along, now.' She shooed Castiel off and followed him to the door. The moment he was outside, she closed it behind him, and he heard the lock click.

'Yeah, that's not shady at all,' he muttered to himself as he stomped away. He'd been stupid to think that Dean might have been as turned on as he was. He had rich, beautiful women hanging off his beautifully muscular arms- how could some dumb little boy turn his handsome head? Castiel was only on his radar at all because they had to do this dance together. It was just another couple of days, and then he'd be forgotten, and Dean could spend his time with people like Toni again, as he undoubtedly really wanted. Castiel just had to get through another couple of days.

Obviously, he jerked off again as soon as he got to his room.

**********

On Wednesday, after going through the entire routine minus the lift several times, Dean decided it was good enough and time to add the lift. It wasn't really a full lift over Dean's head, thankfully, but he would still have to bear all of Castiel's weight. First Castiel had to wrap one leg around Dean's waist, then bring the other up before leaning back with his arms stretched out as Dean spun them around. He watched Dean and Lisa do it several times before mentioning his concerns.

'Are we sure this will work with me? I'm a good four inches taller than Lisa and probably weigh thirty pounds more.'

'You think I can't hold you up?' Dean asked defensively.

'I'm not questioning your manliness,' Castiel replied with an eye roll. 'It's just the physics. My centre of gravity will be very different, and it'll be much harder on both of us than it is for you guys.'

'Well, why don't we start with just the first part?' Lisa suggested. 'See if you can get yourself around Dean's waist and do the spin without leaning back.'

'Should be easy enough,' Castiel muttered to himself.

It was not.

He got the first leg up fine, but he just couldn't make himself lift his second foot off the ground completely. He tried clinging harder to Dean's shoulders to pull himself up, but Dean quickly shot that down.

'You need to trust me, Cas. If you don't trust me, you'll hurt me. I've got my arms around your back, you don't need to hold on so tight. And you definitely can't pull on my shoulders, that'll knock me off balance and we'll both fall.'

'How about you stand on the bed and come at it from a higher angle?' Lisa suggested. 'That might feel easier than fighting gravity to lift your leg up.' That seemed to work a little better, but despite Dean's obvious strength, Castiel still felt he had to hold on for dear life with both his arms and legs.

'Jesus, Cas, loosen up a little,' Dean complained. 'My hips need to stay mobile so I can spin properly.' Castiel managed to relax his legs enough that Dean could start taking small steps, and eventually they managed a full rotation. 'That's it. Think you could lean back a little bit? Not completely, just enough so you can see my face.'

'I'll try.' Dean braced his arms against Castiel's back to support him, and Castiel began to lean backwards slowly, stopping when they were barely past being nose-to-nose. Dean didn't show any signs of strain from Castiel's additional weight and did another couple of slow spins.

'Good. You're doing great. Can you lean back a little more?'

'Not yet. Can you do a couple more spins?'

'Sure, let's do that.' Dean went around again, and Castiel found himself relaxing a little. The spinning got faster with the next rotation, then faster again, and with another couple of rounds, Dean had reached the right speed for the routine. 'Good, you're doing good, Cas. Lean back a little more now.'

'OK.' He let himself fall back a bit more into Dean's arms, which lowered in response.

'You're doing great, Cas, keep going!' Lisa cheered, but when he got to an angle where he'd have to let go of Dean's neck to go further, he panicked and threw himself back up against Dean's chest. Dean stumbled at the sudden change of moment and backed into a wall, bashing Castiel's feet and the back of his own head.

'Fuck! Dammit, Cas, what the hell was that?'

'I'm sorry, I just got a little light-headed,' Castiel lied.

Dean rubbed the back of his head and sighed. 'OK, you know the best place to do this? In water. You won't be so worried about falling, and it'll be easier for me to take your weight.'

'So… you want to do this in the pool?' Castiel asked nervously.

'Are you fucking kidding me? There's a lake a couple miles out that's got a long shallow run-in. Should be the right height to try it without drowning you.' Dean knocked Castiel's shoulder teasingly, and the unexpected fondness in his smile made Castiel blush.

'Will you guys be OK without me? I have to pick up Ben from school.' Lisa looked and sounded genuinely concerned.

'I don't think he'll actually drown me,' Castiel assured her. 'I'm a good swimmer, and I can hold my breath for like two minutes.' Dean made an odd strangled sound that only made Lisa furrow her brow more.

'We'll be fine, Lis,' Dean added, holding Lisa's arms and kissing her forehead before whispering something in her ear that made her roll her eyes but at least relax her posture a little.

'OK. Just be careful.'

Promise made, they agreed to meet again in front of Dean's cabin in a few minutes so Castiel could get his swim trunks, water shoes and a towel. He even managed to evade his family and April so no awkward questions would be asked. Dean was leaning against his car when Castiel returned, looking ridiculously hot in his bootcut jeans and tight white t-shirt. He opened the passenger door for Castiel with an exaggerated courtly bow and a saucy wink. Castiel curtsied before climbing into his seat.

'Cas, this is my baby. Baby, meet Cas,' Dean said when he got in on the driver's side.

'You named your car?'

'Damn right. She's a lady, and a lady needs a name.'

'Is it a kinky thing?' Castiel asked with his nose scrunched up.

'Dude! What part of _lady_ did you not understand? I'm sorry, Baby, I didn't know he was a deviant,' Dean cooed, patting the dashboard comfortingly. He started the engine and loud rock music came blaring from the speakers. 'Sorry, I was by myself last time I drove her.' He turned down the volume and pulled out to the road.

'What did you say to Lisa? She seemed worried,' Castiel asked once they'd been driving in silence for a few minutes.

'Huh? Oh, I just told her that if you tried to jump my bones, I could fight you off. I've got pepper spray, so watch it.'

'Ha ha,' Castiel replied dryly. 'Whoever told you that you're hilarious was lying, you know.'

'Rude. I think I'm adorable.' Dean flicked his eyes towards Castiel and cleared his throat. 'I was just promising her we wouldn't get caught. Staff aren't supposed to go off-site with guests, and the lake is technically outside the resort.' He fidgeted, uncomfortable with being too serious even for just a moment.

'Oh. Thank you for telling me. I'll be circumspect.'

'C'mon, Cas, I don't need to know that about your junk,' Dean smirked, clearly done with being both serious and mature.

'Fuck off,' Castiel laughed, and the rest of their short journey passed with more of that light-hearted banter.

They had to park a few hundred feet from the lake, and Castiel changed into his swim trunks in the back seat while Dean waited outside the car. They found the lake empty but for a few fishermen in rowboats on the other side of the water from the little beach where they stripped down to their swimsuits and waded in. When they were just over knee deep, Dean stopped.

'OK, wrap your legs around my waist.' Castiel did as instructed, remembering to keep his arms loose around Dean's neck. 'Now start leaning back. That's it.' With the water behind him, Castiel felt confident enough to lean back until his back was touching it, all the while feeling Dean's arms supporting his weight. 'I'm gonna start turning now, OK?'

'OK.' The spin began slowly, but by the third rotation they were up to speed.

'Good. Think you can go underwater, get a little lower?' Castiel nodded and took a deep breath in before closing his eyes and leaning back even further. He kept going until Dean's arms locked to tell him he'd gone far enough, and they did the three full spins of the choreography before Dean pulled him out of the water. Keeping his eyes closed to keep the lake water from dripping into them, Castiel felt their foreheads touch to mark the end of the routine. 'Breathe,' he heard Dean say, and he forced out the breath he'd forgotten he was still holding. 'How did that feel?'

'Good. I could feel you holding me in the right position. It's surprisingly hard on my abs,' Castiel admitted.

'Yeah, Lisa's practically got a six-pack. She holds the position as much as I do. Think you'll be able to handle it?'

'Let's do it a few more times in the water and then we can try it again on dry land.'

They did it a dozen times, until Castiel felt confident that he could hold the position. Dean conceded his point on centre of gravity and height, so instead of extending his arms like Lisa had done, he let his hands slide down Dean's biceps and kept a loose grip on his forearms. This had the added benefits of making Castiel feel more secure while also looking more intimate, a point Dean assured him would be popular with the audience.

The water wasn't exactly warm, so Castiel was shivering and covered in goosebumps when they finally came out of the lake. Dean rushed to wrap him in the fluffy towel Castiel had taken from the bungalow and rubbed his arms to warm him up before drying off himself. Castiel mourned the loss of Dean wearing only a short, snug pair of swim trunks as the jeans came back on, but since he was no longer in boner-killing cold water, he figured it was probably for the best.

Next to where they had left Baby was an open grassy field, and this was where Dean suggested they try doing the lift on dry land. Castiel was much less confident without the water to support him, and his grip on Dean's forearms was tighter than either of them would have liked, but they eventually managed a slightly wobbly version of the move before Dean called it.

'I'm beat, man. Your heavy ass is gonna break me,' Dean teased as they lay on their backs in the soft grass.

'But Dean, you're sooo strooong,' Castiel simpered, earning him a raised middle finger. 'If it makes you feel any better, I have a totally new empathy for my sister's menstrual cramps.' He rubbed his sore abdominal muscles to emphasise his point.

'We'll take it easy the rest of the day. I wanna do a full run-through tomorrow before we go to Chattanooga, but I think you've pretty much got it.'

'Thank you, Dean. You're a good teacher.' Dean made a dismissive noise, and Castiel was starting to understand that he didn't take compliments well. 'How did you become a dance teacher anyway?'

'Uh, well, I'd been dancing since I was a kid. Lisa and I grew up next door to each other and our moms thought it would be cute to sign us up for ballet together. Turned out we were both pretty good, so they put us in tap classes too, then jazz, and by the time we were in junior high we were doing competitive ballroom dancing.'

'Seriously? Junior high?'

'Yeah, I know. We used to travel around on weekends doing competitions, and we were state champions like three years in a row. Then it all kinda went to shit in high school. My mom died of cancer, my dad went off the rails until he wrapped his truck around a tree with three times the legal limit of booze in his system, and Lisa got knocked up by the male half of our main competition. I'm pretty sure he did it to get us out of the way 'cause we always kicked his ass, but he didn't get the benefit of it after I beat the shit out of him and fucked up his knee.' He looked at Castiel to gauge his reaction.

'Good. You should have punched him in the balls, too,' Castiel replied emphatically, and Dean laughed.

'Don't worry, I did. Anyway, Lisa decided she wanted to keep the kid, but her parents weren't too happy about it and kicked her out. Sammy and I were about to move in with my uncle in South Dakota, because my dad had made him our legal guardian, so we took Lisa with us. We finished high school there, and when Lis turned eighteen, she decided she wanted to use her dancing background to support herself and Ben.' His expression turned into a scowl, which made Castiel understand what he was implying.

'She became a stripper?' he asked gently.

'Luckily I talked her out of it. There was a dance studio in town advertising for social dance teachers, we walked in and danced for the owner, and she trained us on how to teach. Had a bunch of jobs like this one all over the place, dancing and teaching, at amusement parks, county fairs, cruise ships. Got this job three summers ago. There ya go, my whole sob story.'

Castiel rolled to his side and propped himself up on one elbow so he could look at Dean. 'You're incredible, Dean. I mean it,' he said vehemently when Dean scoffed. 'What you've done for Lisa and her son, for Sam… you're a good person.'

Dean grunted and pushed himself up to his feet. 'You're so fucking naïve, Cas,' he growled as he stalked back to the car. Castiel scrambled up and ran after him.

'How am I naïve?' he demanded.

'Because I told you the shitty story of my shitty life and that's what you got out of it? I'm far from a good person, Cas. You have no idea what I've had to do to pay the bills, keep food on the table.'

'Have you killed anyone?'

'What? No, of course not.'

'Sold drugs?'

'No!'

'Been involved in human trafficking or pimping someone out against their will?'

'Jesus, Cas, of course not!'

Castiel crossed his arms. 'Then I fail to see how you're not a good person. So you've had to do some things that may be ethically or legally dubious to support your family. Who cares? There's a lot of bad in this world, Dean, but you're not part of it.'

Dean shook his head, but he smiled anyway. 'You're somethin' else, Cas.'

Castiel held his head up high and walked past Dean to the passenger side of the car. 'Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment.'

As he got in, he could have sworn he heard Dean say, 'It is.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for sexy, sexy art in this chapter! Less pleasantly, also not-overly-graphic description of botched home abortion.

Although the lift was still a little shaky, they managed to run through the full routine pretty strongly the morning of the show, with Lisa and Sam giving their stamp of approval. Castiel even managed not to pop a boner during the rehearsal. When Sam went back to the main house for his shift, Castiel put on Dean's spare outfit so they could do a proper dress rehearsal.

Lisa hadn't been kidding when she said the outfit was revealing. The glittery pleather booty shorts left little to the imagination, the curve of Castiel's ass just about peeking out the bottom, and the t-shirt on top was a black mesh that also did nothing to preserve modesty. Dean's outfit was even more risqué: he wore high-waisted briefs, also glittery and colourful, over fishnet tights and thigh-high fetish boots, albeit with a much lower heel than a dominatrix might find acceptable.

Castiel resigned himself to the fact that no amount of jerking off beforehand would prevent him from getting a boner, so he just threw himself into the rehearsal. The lift still wasn't very strong, but they managed to do the whole routine to the proper beat and, according to Lisa, 'looking fucking hot' while they did it. They changed back into normal clothes, as they couldn't exactly leave the resort in those outfits, and Lisa put enough makeup and glitter on Castiel to make him almost unrecognisable even to himself. A hooded jacket would cover that up for long enough to go back to the car and drive away from Charming Acres.

After a quick lunch together, they hugged Lisa goodbye and wished her luck at the clinic. Dean made Sam, who would be driving her there, promise to take care of her. The two of them drove off, leaving Dean and Castiel to rest for the remainder of the afternoon before heading out themselves. The hour and a half drive to Chattanooga was spent with a nervous tension that Dean's off-key belting of classic rock tunes couldn't quite ease.

They arrived at the club in the early evening with a plan of doing a run-through on the stage before having a bite to eat and waiting for the show to start. They were on relatively early in the evening's cabaret, but that still meant they wouldn't get back to Charming Acres until after midnight. A security guard let them into the backstage area, and Dean led them to the shared dressing room. Some people were already milling about, getting into costume and makeup, so the two of them changed into their outfits. The room was bustling but relatively quiet for the amount of activity going on inside it, until it suddenly wasn't.

'Dean, babycakes!' came a shout from the doorway, and Dean turned around with a grin.

'Hey Gabe, how's it going?' A short man in black trousers, white shirt open halfway down his chest and red waistcoat jumped into Dean's arms. Dean caught him easily, laughing as this Gabe person kissed both his cheeks before hopping back down.

'Much better now that your sweet ass is here. Where's the sexy side-piece?'

'Uh, Lisa wasn't feeling well this week, so we got a ringer. This is-'

'Jimmy,' Castiel interrupted, sticking his hand out for Gabe to shake. 'Nice to meet you.'

'Ooh la la!' Gabe exclaimed, turning Castiel's hand to plant a kiss on it. 'Aren't you new and interesting? Where you been hiding this one, Deano?'

'We met recently,' Castiel answered, as Dean seemed somewhat flummoxed by the exchange.

'Well isn't Dean just the luckiest bastard in the world? If you get sick of him as a dance partner, give me a call, blue-eyes.' The strange little man waggled his eyebrows before spinning on his heel and strutting out of the dressing room. 'See you on stage, hotties!'

Dean chuckled, looking at Castiel a bit sheepishly. 'Yeah, so that was Gabriel. He manages the club and books the acts. He's harmless.' Castiel just smiled to show he was OK despite the odd encounter. 'So, Jimmy?'

'My middle name. I hope you don't mind me using an alias.'

'No, no, I get it. Gabe's the MC, so he'll use that name to announce you. That's smart.' Dean rubbed the back of his neck, and Castiel noticed that his eyes kept flitting around, like he'd catch himself looking at Castiel and forcing his gaze away again. Castiel didn't know what to make of it; if he didn't know better, he'd have thought Dean was checking him out.

Luckily the awkwardness didn't last much longer, as the act before theirs returned to the dressing room to tell them it was their turn. They walked out and took their starting positions as Castiel's stomach began doing somersaults.

'The Caboose is proud to present Dean Winchester and Jimmy Blue-Eyes!' Gabe announced, and the amusing nickname helped Castiel relax a little.

Once the music started, he made himself focus on the beat and on Dean. He went the wrong direction in the first turn, but quickly regained his composure, and by the second turn he really had it. There was a moment of panic when he realised that Don and Maggie Stark from Charming Acres were at the show, but thankfully they didn't seem to recognise him underneath the makeup and glitter.

When it came time to do the lift, Castiel chickened out. He refused to lean any further back than their closing position touching foreheads. Dean still did the spin, but it didn't look as spectacular as it would have done with Castiel leaning back. The audience still seemed to eat it up, however, and Castiel didn't even bother to worry about the raging erection that tented his tiny shorts, particularly as Dean was similarly affected.

The applause was riotous, and by the time the two of them made it back to the dressing room, a large bowl full of cash tips was waiting for them in Gabriel's arms.

'You guys are welcome back anytime!' he said. 'Especially you, blue eyes.'

'Thanks, Gabe.' Dean quickly threw his clothes on over his costume and stuffed the cash into the duffel. 'We can split it later, but I want to get back to Lisa ASAP if that's OK.'

'Of course. I can get changed in the car.' With a final wave to Gabriel, they hurried out to the Impala, and Castiel climbed into the back seat to change. Dean pulled away quickly to start the drive back to Charming Acres.

Dean was first to break the silence. 'You did good. You worked real hard.'

'Thanks. I saw that couple from Charming Acres and I thought that was it,' Castiel replied as he pulled up his khakis.

'Me too, me too. But they didn't recognise you with the makeup and everything.' Dean paused, and Castiel thought he saw him craning his neck a bit to look in the rear-view mirror. 'By the second turn you really had it.'

'I didn't do the lift right. I freaked out, I'm sorry.'

'It's fine. You did real good. Hell, it probably looked really sexy the way we did it, more intimate, ya know? Our tips were great.'

'Thanks. Sorry about the, uh, you know,' Castiel mumbled as he climbed back over the seat.

'It was fine. Like I said, the tips were great. They really liked it. You looked awesome.'

'You were great, too.' Dean shrugged, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. They rode the rest of the way back in companionable silence, catching shy glances of each other whenever they thought the other wasn’t looking, and Castiel almost began to worry that his heart rate would never slow down again. When they finally pulled into Dean's parking space, Castiel thought Dean was about to say something else, but the moment was shattered by Sam running towards them waving his arms.

'Dean, thank god!' Sam cried out. 'Hurry, it's Lisa!'

Dean and Castiel sprinted from the car into Lisa's cabin. She was lying on the bed, pale as her bedsheets- or at least, the parts of her bedsheets that weren't covered in the blood leaking from between her legs.

'What the fuck happened?' Dean shouted. 'Did they fuck up at the clinic?'

'The clinic was surrounded by protesters,' Sam explained, 'they blocked the entrance and were calling her a murderer. We left, came back here, and when I went to do the dinner shift, she took some pills she got from one of the other girls. I think she took too many or they were the wrong kind or something.'

'Fuck!' Dean pulled at his hair and looked around wildly, not knowing what to do.

'Should we call an ambulance?' Castiel asked frantically.

'Can't afford it,' Sam said. 'I was waiting for Dean so we could take her in the car.'

'Wait, just give me five minutes,' Castiel pled, and ran out the door, all the way back to his family's bungalow. He burst into his parents' room and shook his dad awake. 'Dad, please, come quick, somebody needs help.'

'Castiel? What's going on?' Cain mumbled.

'Please, Daddy, bring your bag. Somebody needs a doctor. Hurry!'

That seemed to snap Cain to wakefulness, and he quickly put on pants and a t-shirt and grabbed his bag after shushing Colette back to sleep with a promise that he'd be back soon. Castiel dashed ahead of him, urging him to run, and within a couple of minutes they were back at Lisa's cabin. Dean was at Lisa's bedside, petting her hair and shushing her as she trembled, but he jumped back when he saw Castiel back with his father. Cain immediately understood the situation and dashed to Lisa's side.

'Everybody clear out of here,' he said firmly before turning to Lisa with a gentler manner. 'Hello there. Let's see what's happening.' He palpated her abdomen and she whimpered with pain. Dean tried to go to her, but Sam and Castiel held him back. 'Yes, I know that hurts. We're going to take care of that, OK?' He turned back to the three men still standing there gaping at him. 'I said get out.' It was a tone that did not brook opposition, and Sam and Castiel dragged Dean out onto the porch.

After what seemed like hours, Cain finally stepped back out onto the porch. 'Dad, is she-' Castiel began, but Cain put up his hand to stop him.

'Who's responsible for this girl?'

Dean stepped forward. 'I am. Please, doc, is she-'

'She's going to be fine,' he replied curtly.

'Doc, thank you so much, I don't know how to thank you.' A teary-eyed Dean didn't seem to notice Cain's sharp tone, putting his hand out for a grateful handshake. Cain looked at it with disdain and sidestepped him to get off the porch.

'Castiel,' he snapped, and Castiel rushed to follow, giving Sam and Dean an apologetic look. They were barely out of earshot when Cain asked, 'Is that what my money paid for?'

'No, she was supposed to go to the clinic, but she couldn't get in because of protesters. I swear, Dad, she wasn't supposed to take dodgy pills, she was just desperate.'

Cain stopped and looked at his son, taking in the makeup and body glitter with a sour expression. 'You're not the person I thought you were. I'm not sure who you are. I don't want you to have anything to do with those people.' Castiel opened his mouth, but Cain again cut him off. 'Nothing! You're to have nothing to do with them ever again! I won't tell your mother about this. Right now, I'm going to bed. And take that stuff off your face before your mother sees you!' He stormed into the bungalow but composed himself before quietly entering the master bedroom.

'Is everything all right, dear?' Castiel heard his mother ask.

'Everything's fine, my love, go back to sleep.'

Castiel went to the bathroom and used Hael's makeup remover to clean his face, although he feared the glitter would need something more industrial strength to get completely off. He still felt dirty, though, with shame at his father's behaviour towards Dean. He had no doubt misunderstood the situation, not helped by Dean claiming responsibility for Lisa, and treated him like garbage. And like the coward he was, Castiel had just run off behind him, probably leaving Dean to think that Castiel agreed with his father's rudeness. Well, there wasn't much Castiel could do about Cain, but he could at least apologise on his behalf.

Sneaking quietly out of the bathroom, he made sure the whole bungalow was still before slipping out the front door and dashing back to the staff area. Lisa's cabin was dark, but Dean's was brightly lit. Desperately hoping that Sam wasn't there, Castiel knocked.

Dean opened the door of his cabin, rubbing the back of his neck when he saw it was Castiel. 'Oh, hey Cas.'

'Hello, Dean. Can I come in?'

'Yeah, of course.' He stepped back and let Castiel in, closing the door behind him. 'Sorry, it's not really a great room. I bet you've got a great room.'

'No, no, this is a great room. I like it.' Dean walked over to switch off the record player, but Castiel stopped him. 'No, leave it on. Um, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry about my dad.'

'What? No, your dad was great! The way he helped Lisa, he was amazing!'

'I mean the way he was with _you_ ,' Castiel clarified. 'It wasn't really about you, it was about me. I came here because my dad-'

Dean waved his explanation away. 'Nah, man, your dad was awesome. The way he saved her- I could never do anything like that. That was something. People treat me like I'm nothing because I am nothing.'

'That's not true! You're everything!' Castiel cried, but Dean shook his head.

'You don't know what it's like for somebody like me, Cas. Last month I was eating beef jerky and gas station taquitos to stay alive, this month I've got women stuffing diamonds in my pockets. I'm only ever a step away from the gutter, and I can be down there again like that,' he said, snapping his fingers.

'It doesn't have to be that way. It _shouldn't_ be that way.'

Dean smiled sadly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 'I've never known anyone like you. You think you can make the world better. Somebody's lost, you find them. Somebody's bleeding-'

'I go get my daddy,' Castiel said disparagingly. 'That's really brave, like you said.'

'It took a lot of guts to go to him! You're not scared of anything!'

Castiel scoffed. 'I'm scared of everything! I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am. But most of all, I'm scared of walking out of here and never feeling for the rest of my life the way I feel when I'm with you!' He walked right into Dean's personal space and put a hand on his shoulder.

Dean's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. 'Cas…'

'Dance with me,' Castiel pleaded. With a visible tremor running through his body, Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist, while Castiel put his around Dean's neck. Their foreheads came together as they began to sway to the music, and then Castiel tilted his head just so in invitation. Dean's sharp inhale told Castiel that he'd gotten the message, and after a moment's hesitation, he closed the gap between them.

Their first kiss was soft, sweet, tender in a way Castiel hadn't expected, but as soon as Dean was convinced that Castiel was on board, he opened his mouth to deepen it. Castiel responded enthusiastically, and dancing was forgotten in favour of making out. This time, Castiel wasn't at all bothered if Dean felt his arousal and judging by the moan deep in Dean's throat when Castiel rolled his hips, Dean approved.

'Cas,' Dean panted when they finally pulled apart, 'what do you want?'

'Everything.'

'Fuck. We shouldn't… we're not supposed to…'

'Please, Dean. I want you. Unless you don't want…'

'Believe me, Cas, I want. So bad.'

With trembling hands, Castiel pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it aside. 'Then take.'

They crashed together again, only leaving enough space between them to fumble at their respective flies. Dean got there first, kicking out of his jeans to leave him in only a wife-beater and a pair of tight black boxer-briefs. Castiel finally managed to get his own off, feeling awkward in his nerdy white boxer shorts, but Dean didn't seem to mind.

'You're gorgeous, Cas,' he murmured, kissing his way down Castiel's chest until he ended up on his knees. 'Can I?' Castiel nodded, and Dean's fingers curled into the waistband of the boxers and pulled them down. 'Damn. I can see how you got quarterbacks to give you handies in gay bar bathrooms.'

'It was just the one time,' Castiel admitted. 'I'm not exactly Don Juan.'

Dean wrapped his hand loosely around Castiel's cock and gave a few gentle strokes. 'Anyone ever suck you off?'

Castiel shook his head. 'I've never done anything else. But I want to,' he added hastily, 'with you.'

Dean smiled up at him. 'Sweetheart, I'm gonna make you feel so good.' With that, he wrapped his lips around the head of Castiel's cock and started to bob his head, getting a little deeper each time. Castiel tried to swallow down his moans, but Dean popped his mouth off at the strangled sound. 'I wanna hear you, sweetheart. Give me all those beautiful noises.'

With that encouragement, Castiel stopped holding back. Everything felt so good, from Dean's mouth on his cock, to his hands gripping Castiel's ass and pushing his hips forward. He moaned Dean's name, gasped every time Dean did a particular thing with his tongue, and thrust his fingers into Dean's soft hair. He felt pathetic when after only a couple of minutes, he could feel himself getting close, but how could he resist when such a beautiful man was on his knees in front of him sucking down his cock with such gusto?

'Gonna come,' he panted, and to his extreme disappointment, Dean stopped the incredible blow job and stood up, chuckling at Castiel's whimper.

'We're just getting started, Cas. I'll take care of you, don't worry.' He pulled Castiel over to the bed and lay down on top of him. They both shivered when their cocks brushed together, and Castiel pulled Dean's hips closer so they could rub against each other. It felt so good and he was so close, just a little more friction… 'Cas, hang on,' Dean chuckled, firmly holding Castiel's hips down. 'I wanna be inside you.'

'Yes, please, I want you,' Castiel begged.

'Lie on your stomach,' Dean instructed, and Castiel flipped over obediently. He heard Dean rummage in his nightstand, then the sound of a cap opening. 'Can I touch you?' Castiel responded by sticking his ass up, and Dean gave it a playful smack. The finger that came next caused a shudder to go through Castiel's body, but he wasn't a complete stranger to that sort of intrusion and took it easily.

'I've used a toy before,' he informed Dean, who was moving much too slowly for his liking. 'You can speed it up.'

'Maybe I enjoy taking my time,' Dean teased, but added another finger anyway. Castiel squirmed and sighed when Dean found his prostate. 'Then again, there's something to be said for speed.'

'Yes, speed is good, please, Dean,' Castiel pleaded again. When Dean took his fingers out, Castiel turned onto his back, grabbing the pillow from behind his head and putting it under his back. 'I want to see you while you fuck me.'

'Christ, Cas, you'll be the death of me.' Dean tore open a condom packet and rolled it down his length, slicking it up with more lube. 'I'll start slow, OK?' Castiel nodded, forcing himself to relax as he let his legs fall open to accommodate Dean. There was uncomfortable pressure as Dean pushed in, but after the initial breach, Castiel let out a satisfied sigh. Dean was substantially thicker than the toy he used, but he moved slowly as promised, letting Castiel get used to him with every tiny thrust. After what felt like forever, he was finally in to the hilt, and he stopped moving to give Castiel another tender kiss.

'I meant what I said before,' Castiel said. 'You're everything.'

Dean's reply was to start rolling his hips. Every thrust made Castiel gasp with pleasure, the feeling of being filled so much more intense when it came attached to a strong body above him. 'Cas… fuck, you feel amazing.'

'You do too. More, please,' Castiel moaned. He pushed up to take Dean in deeper and gasped as Dean hit his prostate with the new angle. 'Oh! Fuck, yes, there!'

'I got you, sweetheart,' Dean promised, holding Castiel's hips just right to keep the sensation going.

'Dean, I need… I need…'

'Let me see you touch yourself, Cas. Wanna see you come.' Castiel moaned again as he wrapped his hand around his cock, so hard and so sensitive now. 'I heard you the other day in the studio. I listened to you touch yourself, and I had to jerk off again to get through the rest of the rehearsal. Wanted to come in there and finish you off myself, bend you over the sink and fuck you so hard you'd barely be able to walk, never mind dance. Wanted you every second we were dancing together, wanted to feel you hard against me and know that it was because of me. That you wanted me as much as I wanted you.'

'Dean!' Castiel cried out as his orgasm shot through him. Dean's hips worked even faster, and he came with a long groan less than a minute later.

'Son of a bitch,' Dean panted, pulling out and tying off the condom before flopping onto his back next to Castiel. 'Haven't come that hard in… ever.'

'Me too. Dean,' Castiel said, rolling onto his side to look at Dean, 'I _did_ , I _do_ , want you just as much. More, even. I thought about you when I was in the bathroom. I feel like I haven’t thought about anything but you since I got here.'

Dean cupped Castiel's cheek and pulled him in for a tender kiss that was broken by their smiles. 'You gonna keep taking dance lessons with me?'

'Yes. Can I lock the studio door too?' Dean's expression faltered, and Castiel immediately regretted his facetiousness. 'Dean-'

'Cas, you gotta understand,' Dean said desperately. 'She didn't mean anything. I didn't feel like I could say no, she's not the kind of woman you can just say no to. I couldn't even get it up, I had to go dow-'

Castiel put a finger to Dean's lips. 'I understand. You don't have to explain, and you definitely don't have to get into any details. If I didn't think it would get you in trouble, I would have a strong conversation with Mr Harrington about sexual harassment and exploitation of his staff by the guests. Say the word and I'll do it anyway.'

'You're gonna save the world, Castiel Novak,' Dean said with a fond smile. 'You don't need to worry about me, I can take care of myself.'

'I know you can,' Castiel agreed as he cuddled into Dean's side. 'But you deserve someone to take care of you sometimes too.'

The first streaks of dawn light were starting to break through the mist by the time Castiel snuck back into his room. Hael was sound asleep, eye mask and earplugs firmly in place, and his parents' room was completely silent. Dean had woken him up to make sure he wasn't missed, and they had shared a long kiss that still had Castiel buzzing. His ass was a little sore, but nothing he couldn't handle. He wondered if Dean would be willing to switch places next time- the thought of sinking into Dean had him hard again for what felt like the hundredth time that week, but he was too exhausted to do anything about it. He'd save that fantasy for his next shower.

It was only a couple of hours later when Castiel was practically dragged out of his bed for family breakfast. In the dining room, all the buzz was about the big final show that would close out the season at Charming Acres. Chip Harrington himself served their coffee in his eagerness to recruit them for it.

'So is everybody going to be in the show?' he asked cheerfully, oblivious to Cain's sour expression.

'We're leaving tomorrow,' Cain replied sharply. The other Novaks and Chip all stared at him in shock.

'And miss the show?' Hael asked. 'Daddy, I was going to sing in the show!'

'We're paid up for another week,' Colette added. 'Why would we leave now?'

'Come on, Doc, you can't leave before the big show!' Chip piled in, and Cain folded his newspaper in defeat.

'I'm just not used to being on vacation this long. I guess the office can wait another week.' Hael clapped and squealed happily. Castiel said nothing, but he could feel his father's eyes on him, so he suppressed his smile as best he could.

Cain excused himself shortly after breakfast. Castiel followed surreptitiously when he noticed that his father was going towards the staff quarters. As expected, Cain went straight to Lisa's cabin and spent nearly an hour there before leaving with a relieved smile. Hiding behind a large topiary until Cain had passed, Castiel then made his way down to pay his own visit.

'Come in,' came Lisa's voice, sounding a bit raspy but strong, when he knocked. He entered shyly, but Lisa's brilliant smile melted away his uncertainty. 'Cas! You just missed your father. He's such a wonderful man.'

'You look much better. How are you feeling?'

Lisa's reply was interrupted by a jaunty knock on the door, which opened before she could say anything. Dean stepped through with a grin and a cheerful greeting for Lisa. Castiel could feel himself blushing, but Dean only gave him a cursory glance before turning all of his attention to Lisa.

'So how you doin', Lis?'

'I'm OK. Dr Novak says I'm gonna be fine. I can still have more children if I want.'

'Oh, Lis, that's great. That's really great.'

An awkward silence fell, and Lisa looked between the two of them suspiciously. 'So how'd it go last night?'

'Good,' Dean answered quickly, 'it was good.'

'Fine,' Castiel added. 'I didn't do the full lift, but it was good.' He looked over at Dean, who refused to meet his eyes, then down at the floor. 'Well, I guess I'm gonna go. I'm glad you're feeling better, Lisa.'

She looked back and forth between them again, her expression changing to one of disapproval. 'Bye, Cas. Thanks again.'

'See ya,' Dean said as Castiel walked out the door. As soon as it was shut behind him, Castiel heard Dean pull up a chair to Lisa's bedside. 'So he says you're gonna be fine?'

'What are you doing?' Castiel heard the concerned tone in her voice and put his ear against the door to eavesdrop.

Dean ignored her question. 'I'll tell Chip your grandmother died.'

'How many times have you told me not to get mixed up with them?'

There was a pause before Dean replied, 'I know what I'm doing.'

'Listen to me, Dean. You've got to stop it. Now.'

The legs of the chair scraped against the floor as Dean apparently stood up. 'Listen, I gotta go. Dance lesson with the Fitzgeralds. Garth'll probably trip over himself and break something if I'm not there.'

'Well sure, you gotta go,' Lisa said dubiously. Dean's footsteps headed towards the door, and Castiel missed whatever he said next in his haste to move further down the porch so as not to get caught.

Dean stepped out and started to see Castiel still standing there. For his part, Castiel felt like he could barely breathe. After everything they had shared just a few hours earlier, for Dean to act like he was nobody special would break him. His worry must have shown on his face, because Dean stepped closer, cupped his jaw with one hand and brushed his thumb over Castiel's cheek before giving him a smile and a wink. Castiel breathed a sigh of relief and smiled back, nuzzling into Dean's hand. They didn't need to exchange any words- everything was OK.


	4. Chapter 4

'I want to dance in the final show.'

Dean pulled back from where he'd been sucking on Castiel's nipple. 'Huh?'

Castiel pushed his head back to its former position, humming appreciatively as Dean's tongue flicked out to return to its teasing. 'I want to dance in the final show. With you.'

'I don't think our choreography would really fly in the ballroom, sweetheart,' Dean murmured against the skin of Castiel's stomach while he slid further down his body.

'Obviously we'd have a different routine. But I would like to try the lift again. I think if we had more time I could do it.'

'I could come up with something. Or I could suck your dick.' Dean waggled his eyebrows before starting to do just that.

'Mmm, fuck.' Castiel bit his lip and ran his fingers through Dean's hair. 'You're multi-talented, I'm sure you could manage both.'

With a lurid slurp, Dean popped off of Castiel's cock and looked up his body. 'You really mean it? You want to do a couples dance with _me_ at the final show of a family resort in Biblebeltsville, North Carolina?'

'I'm not ashamed. It's a new millennium, for fuck's sake.'

'You really are somethin' else, Cas,' Dean chuckled. 'OK, I'll choreograph something. But I got other plans for the half-hour we got left.' He stood up with a wink, leaning over to get something from his jacket pocket. Seeing that it was a condom and lube, Castiel grinned and rolled onto his stomach. 'Uh, not exactly what I had in mind.' Dean pushed Castiel back over and rolled the condom onto his erection, drizzling a large dollop of lube onto it.

'Um… what…' Castiel began, but then Dean straddled him and sank slowly down onto his cock, killing all higher brain function.

'Fuck… yes…' Dean hissed through gritted teeth. 'Finally.'

'Dean,' Castiel moaned, the tightness threatening to make him come much more quickly than he'd like. 'You didn't even prep.'

'Did it before you got here,' Dean huffed, 'but apparently forgot how thick your dick is. Jesus.'

'Take your time. I think if you move, I won't last long anyway.'

Instead of moving his hips, Dean leaned over so they could kiss, not in a frantic, impassioned way, but with a tenderness that continued to surprise Castiel. For all that Dean tried to exude a bad boy persona, he was clearly much softer on the inside than he tried to let on. Castiel felt privileged to be allowed to see that side of him.

Eventually, Castiel felt in enough control of himself to want to move things along, and he trailed his hands down to Dean's ass to encourage him. He reached out until he could feel where they were joined, a desperate moan escaping when Dean clenched around him.

'You like that, sweetheart?' Dean whispered. 'I sure do.' He sat up and started rolling his hips, his own hard cock slapping obscenely against his stomach as he picked up speed. Castiel wrapped a hand around it, but Dean shook his head and moved both of Castiel's hands to his hips instead. 'I've got a party trick,' he panted. 'Just need to find…' He experimented with a couple of slightly different angles, gasping when he found the one he wanted. 'There it is.'

Castiel held onto Dean's hips for dear life, certain that he wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. 'Dean… Dean… I can't… gonna…'

'Fuuuuuuck!' Dean cried out as he came untouched onto Castiel's chest. There was no way Castiel could hold back after that, and he thrust up hard as he felt wave after wave of pleasure course through him. Dean flopped down against his chest, heart racing and breathing heavy.

Castiel was left a little breathless himself, but gathered enough oxygen to ask, 'What the hell kind of parties do you go to?'

Dean laughed so hard that Castiel's cock slipped out, and he winced at the feeling even through his chuckles. He didn't bother to answer but walked over to his jacket again and tossed a pack of wet wipes in Castiel's direction after taking one for himself.

'Damn. Next time we're doing that on my bed. The studio floor is hell on my knees.' He rubbed said knees with a grimace. 'Guess I'm getting old.'

Finished with his own clean-up, Castiel rolled onto his side with his hand propping up his head. 'How old are you, anyway?'

'Ah, shit, this is where you find out I'm a dirty old man.'

'Oh, come on, you can't be that old if Sam is my age.'

'I'm twenty-six. Creeped out yet?' His tone was teasing, but there was a tension around his eyes that belied his light-heartedness.

'Psht, I'd still fuck Sean Connery, and he's old enough to be my grandfather. Eight years is nothing.'

'Well, yeah, who wouldn't fuck Sean Connery?' Dean grinned, relaxing again. 'So, uh, was that OK?'

Castiel scrambled to his feet and wrapped his arms around Dean. 'It was wonderful. Unexpected, but very, very wonderful.'

'Good. Awesome.' They kissed again, letting themselves enjoy the intimate moment for the remaining few minutes until Dean's alarm went off to indicate that they had five minutes left. 'Guess we should get dressed and unlock the door.' They reluctantly did that and were in a perfectly innocent foxtrot hold when April Harrington barged into the studio. She stopped short when she saw Castiel.

'Oh, hi Castiel,' she said coyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 'I didn't realise you were getting dance lessons.' When Castiel just shrugged, she turned her attention to Dean. 'My dad put me in charge of the final show. I want to talk to you about the last dance. I'd like to shake things up a bit, you know, move with the times. It's a new millennium, you know?' Castiel tried to hold back his grin at April saying the same thing he had said not long before.

Dean's eyes lit up. 'Yeah? That's great! I've got lots of ideas, there's some great Latin and swing stuff going on right now and-'

April held her hand up. 'Whoa, boy. Way over your head here. Look, you always do the mambo, right? Why not dance this year's final dance... to the Pachanga?' She looked at Dean eagerly, like she had just blown his mind.

'Right,' he replied flatly.

'Well, you're free to do the same tired number as last year if you want,' April said nonchalantly, 'but next year we'll find another dance person who-'

'Of course, Ms Harrington. No problem,' Dean said a little too loudly. 'We'll end the season with the Pachanga. Great idea.'

April smirked and leaned over to Castiel. 'He's a bit hard to talk to, but the ladies seem to like him. See that he gives you the full hour you're paying him for.' With what Castiel imagined was an attempt to swing her hips seductively, she left the studio.

'Spoiled little bitch,' Dean muttered. 'She wouldn't know a new idea if it hit her in the Pachangas. I could've told her some new ideas.'

Castiel put a soothing hand on Dean's shoulder. 'Why did you let her talk to you that way?'

'What, fight the boss lady?' Dean chuckled ruefully.

'No, I mean, just tell her your ideas. She's a person…. An annoying person, but a person, like everyone else.'

'Look, Cas, I know these people. They're rich, and they're mean, and they won't listen to me.'

'Why not fight harder? Make them listen,' Castiel insisted.

'Because I need this goddamned job lined up for next summer.' Dean ran a frustrated hand through his hair. 'Bobby called me this morning. Said one of his mechanics is opening a new shop next spring and he's willing to give me a spot. In fuckin' Pierre.'

'South Dakota?'

'Yeah. Paradise on fuckin' earth, let me tell ya,' Dean said sarcastically. 'I mean, I can do cars, but… I've always just wanted to dance.' Castiel didn't reply, just held him until a knock on the studio door indicated the arrival of the Fitzgeralds for their lesson.

Dinner with the family was as tense as usual lately. Cain all but ignored him in favour of listening to Hael's inane chatter, mainly about the upcoming show and that asshole Lucius. When their parents retired for the evening, he and Hael stayed up to watch TV in the bungalow's living room.

'I'm going to sleep with Lucius,' Hael suddenly announced out of the blue.

'What? I thought you were all into that purity ring stuff.'

Hael shrugged. 'Nobody actually follows that. He's hot and he's going to be a doctor.'

'Hael-'

'Do you think if we came back on our tenth anniversary it would be free?' Hael giggled.

'Hael, not with him. Even if you don't really buy into the purity ring stuff, it should at least be with somebody that you really love.'

Hael snorted. 'Whatever. Not like you actually care. You wouldn't care if I fucked the entire Middle East as long as they believed in Palestinian liberation.' She stood up and smirked at him. 'All you care about is that you're not Daddy's little favourite anymore. He listens when I talk now, and you hate that.'

'No, that's not-' but she just flounced out of the room without letting him finish.

**********

Nothing could make Castiel feel better than spending time with Dean, so the next morning after breakfast, he caught up with him between his cabin and the studio. He told Dean about the argument with Hael as they walked, and Dean was on the verge of giving some advice when Castiel suddenly grabbed his shirt and made them both duck behind a wall.

'Rand argued that Arabs were just jealous of Israel making something out of the bad land thanks to their grasp of science and reason, and if we want to spread Enlightenment values in the Middle East, we need to support them completely,' Lucius said as he, Hael and Cain walked along the path on the other side of that wall.

'It just seems to me that unquestioning support of Israel is only going to make the US a bigger target for Islamic terrorism,' Cain replied. 'Al-Qaeda will attack again sooner or later.' His voice faded as they moved past, and Castiel breathed a sigh of relief.

'It's OK, I don't think they saw us.'

Dean pursed his lips so tightly that his dimples appeared. Fight harder, huh? I don't see you fighting so hard to tell your dad that I'm your guy.'

'I will. It's just complicated with my dad,' Castiel replied sheepishly. 'But I will tell him.'

'I don't believe you, Cas. I don't think you ever planned to tell him.' Dean stormed off without looking back, leaving Castiel crouching in the gravel and feeling like a coward. Dean was wrong- at least, Castiel was pretty sure he was wrong. He was totally planning to tell Cain that he and Dean were together. Eventually. But he had rationalised to himself that if he acted too soon, Cain would just take the family home right away, final show be damned. That was why he wanted to dance together in the final show, though. It would be a public statement of how he felt about Dean, and it would be too late for Cain to take them away. It was a perfect plan.

It occurred to him that maybe he should have explained that to Dean.

Knowing Dean would go back to the staff area for lunch after his morning lessons, Castiel decided to wait for him in his cabin. Better yet, he would get himself ready so that Dean could have his way with him as soon as he walked in the door. First he had a shower, getting himself as clean as he could, and then he lay down and spread his legs on Dean's bed, fingering and stroking himself in an unhurried manner while he waited for Dean to get back.

The morning apparently hadn't erased Dean's frustrations, because he stomped up the steps and threw open the door more forcefully than required. Castiel didn't stop his ministrations despite Dean standing frozen in the doorway with eyes and jaw wide. A moan from Castiel seemed to snap him out of it, and he slammed the door behind himself.

'Cas, what are you doing?'

'Waiting for you,' Castiel panted. 'I wanted to apologise about earlier.'

'With your dick?' Dean smirked.

'I was thinking with my ass, but if you prefer the other way, I can be flexible.'

Dean pulled off his shirt and undid his belt as he started walking over, slipping out of his shoes along the way and pulling his pants off with a grace that only a dancer could pull off. 'Nah, you've already gone to so much trouble.'

He didn't bother to climb into the bed, but hoisted Castiel over so his legs came off the edge. Castiel handed him a condom, and a few seconds later he was pushing into Castiel with a relieved groan. With Castiel's legs draped over Dean's forearms for leverage, Dean snapped his hips roughly, not bothering to let either of them adjust. Castiel stripped his own cock in a fast rhythm, knowing they wouldn't last long at this pace. His orgasm hit him like a freight train, knocking the breath out of him. Dean kept pounding away for a couple of minutes longer, almost driving Castiel crazy with oversensitivity before he finally came.

'I really am sorry,' Castiel panted as Dean pulled out and tied off the condom. 'I don't want my dad to take us home before the final show. I want to dance with you there, show everybody that I'm yours.'

Dean sighed and climbed into bed next to him, pulling him close and kissing his shoulder. 'I overreacted. Sometimes I forget that you're only eighteen. Then I feel guilty for being an old creeper taking advantage of you or something.'

Castiel rolled his eyes. 'I'm a legal adult and perfectly capable of deciding who I want to fuck, thank you very much. You're not exactly a cradle robber.'

'Well, either way it wasn't fair of me to pressure you like that. You had a good reason for not telling your dad, and I knew you wanted to dance in the show. I was just being pissy.'

'And I was being a coward. But I promise you, I will tell my dad about us.' They sealed the agreement with a kiss. 'I had something else I wanted to ask you.'

'Shoot.'

'You know how Sam and I are both going to Stanford?'

'Yeah.'

'I was just wondering if you'll ever come to visit… Sam. Visit Sam.'

A sly grin appeared on Dean's face. 'Maybe. I might come visit _Sam_.'

'Well, if you do come to visit _Sam_ , maybe you and I could, you know, catch up.'

'Are you saying you'd want to see me after the summer?'

'I mean, if you're coming to Stanford anyway. You could say hi.'

'I could say hi. Is there anything else you'd like me to do if I was there?'

Castiel wrapped his legs around Dean's. 'I'm sure we'll think of something.'

'I bet we will.' They kissed for a while, and with Dean's weight on top of him, Castiel thought he might actually get hard again before too long, but then Dean's stomach rumbled. 'Ugh. I should probably actually have some lunch on this lunch break. Gotta be back in the studio by one thirty.' He climbed off and wiped himself down with a baby wipe before tossing the pack to Castiel. 'You want a sandwich?'

'I'm OK, I'll grab something at the main hotel later.' They chatted casually while Dean ate his lunch, the tension between them now resolved. Castiel felt like he was walking on air; Dean had indicated that he'd be willing to see Castiel at Stanford, which probably meant that Castiel wasn't alone in feeling that this could be something more than just a summer fling.

They left the cabin with plenty of time for them to have a leisurely walk back to the main grounds. Most of the staff would be there, so Dean risked putting an arm around Castiel's shoulders and pulling him for a kiss on the temple while they were still away from prying eyes.

'Should've known you'd manage to find the only fag in the guest list, Winchester,' sneered an unpleasant voice, and they turned around to find Lucius smoking a cigarette against the wall of the cabin next door. 'Don't worry, Castiel, I've been slumming too.'

Dean flew over the porch railing and grabbed Lucius by his sweater vest, throwing him against the wall and punching him in the stomach. Lucius tried to fight back, but he was no match for Dean, who eventually got him on the ground to deliver his blows.

'Dean!' Castiel cried out. 'Stop!'

Dean, who had a tight grip on the sweater vest, released it with more force than necessary so Lucius crashed back to the ground. 'You're not worth it. Get the fuck away from me.' Lucius scrambled to his feet and ran away before Dean could change his mind. 'Sorry, Cas.'

'You could have beaten him bloody for all I cared,' Castiel replied. 'I just didn't want you to get in trouble.' He looked Dean over for injuries, but he was just a little sweaty and his fingers were slightly swollen. 'Are you OK?'

'I'm fine. Come on, I've got a lesson and then I'm working on show stuff all afternoon.'

'I'll be there,' Castiel sighed. 'April roped me into doing props.' Dean barely laughed at all.

After getting some lunch, Castiel reported for duty with April, which she had decided meant painting background scenery together while she flirted, and he practically ignored her. The guests who were going to be in the show took their turns on the stage and practiced in various corners of the room in the meantime. At a table in the corner, Chip Harrington and several guests were playing poker; Castiel recognised Toni draped over a dapper-looking man in a sharp suit. When Dean walked in, she stood up and said, 'Win big, Arthur.'

'Of course,' he replied, not even looking up from his cards. She sauntered over to where Dean had set himself up to coach the acts, coincidentally not far from where Castiel was painting a fake palm tree.

'This is our last night together, darling. I've got something worked out for us.' She ran a hand over Dean's shoulder, and Dean tensed under her touch. He watched her walk back over to the poker table before turning to look at Castiel, who quickly looked away as if he hadn't been watching the entire exchange.

A couple of minutes later, the act that had been practicing on stage finished their rehearsal, and Dean walked over to the poker table with a plastic skull. 'Excuse me, Mr Ketch,' he said to Arthur, 'your Hamlet speech is up next after Hael Novak's song.'

'It's called a soliloquy,' Arthur said, taking the skull. 'Oh, by the way. I've got an all-night card game tonight.' He put the skull on the table and took out his wallet, passing Dean a few bills. 'Why don't you give my wife some extra dance lessons?' Toni looked at Dean smugly.

'Uh, actually, I'm really booked up with the show and don't have time for anything else, so it wouldn't really be fair to take your money.' He handed the cash back without looking Toni and walked back to where he had been sitting, throwing a wink Castiel's way when he was sure nobody was looking.

Castiel was so happy that he sat through Hael's unique rendition of 'Baby One More Time' by Britney Spears, accompanied by piano and ukulele, without a single complaint.

**********

A party for the younger guests gave both Castiel and Hael a perfect excuse to evade their parents that night. Neither of them attended, of course; Castiel went straight to Dean's cabin, where they finalised their choreography for the show before taking their time over taking each other apart. Hael had her plans with Lucius, and Castiel just hoped she wouldn't learn the hard way that he was not a man to be trusted.

The sun hadn't quite begun to rise when Dean walked Castiel out of the cabin so he could sneak back to the family bungalow. They exchanged a few more kisses on the porch before Castiel managed to drag himself away. He thought he saw a flash of movement at one of the nearby cabins, but when nobody called out to him, he shrugged and went on his way.

To his surprise, Hael was on the deck of the bungalow when he got back, wrapped in a blanket with a mostly empty bottle of rosé beside her. There wasn't even a glass, so he assumed that she had in fact found out the hard way about Lucius and approached her cautiously.

'Morning. Are you OK?'

'Do I look OK?' Her head popped out from the blanket burrito, and Castiel could see that her eyes were red and swollen with crying. He walked up and wrapped her in a hug.

'I'm sorry.'

'You don't even know what happened,' she snapped.

'No, but I know you're hurting, and I'm sorry that something happened to make you sad.'

Hael started crying again. 'Thanks Cassie. I went to see Lucius last night. I walked into his cabin, and he had that snooty British bitch bent over his bed. They didn't even say anything- they just looked at me and kept going. I just… walked out, came back here, and started drinking pink wine.'

'That bastard. Do you want me to cut his dick off?'

Hael giggled and shook her head. 'You tried to warn me about him, and I didn't listen. I'm sorry.'

'I didn't give you much reason to believe me. I hadn't even realised you were getting that serious about him because I've been so caught up in my own stuff.' He rested his head on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off.

'Come here.' She opened up the blanket and he crawled under her warm so she could wrap them both up. 'Tell me about your summer.'

'I think I'm in love.'

'With the hot dancer guy?'

Castiel looked at her with surprise. 'How did you know?'

'Well, the way you practically drool every time you see him was a bit of a giveaway. And if you were talking about Chip's daughter you wouldn't sound so sad about it.'

'I'm not sad. I just worry that Dad won't accept it. And not just the guy thing. He got the wrong idea about Dean a while ago and I don't know how to change his mind.'

'Dean must be pretty special to have caught your eye.'

'He is.'

Hael sighed. 'I thought Lucius was special. But I should have guessed what he was really like when he gave me that terrible Fountain-whatever book to read. What kind of a dick finds that crap inspiring?'

'He tried to give to me, too. I told him where he could shove it but said it might be a tight fit with his head up there.' They both laughed and cuddled closer together. He tried to remember the last time they had talked like this and was ashamed to realise that it had probably been at least several years.

'So are you and your guy going to stay in touch after the summer?'

'His brother- you know Sam, the really tall guy who works here? He's going to Stanford too, so yeah, hopefully.'

'You deserve it. Come on, let's go inside. I need to wash my face before we get breakfast, and holy shit, am I going to need a lot of breakfast.'

Cain and Colette were awake by the time Castiel and Hael were presentable for breakfast, so the whole family went to the dining room together. Chip Harrington greeted them, but he looked a bit the worse for wear. Cain asked if anything was wrong, and Chip sighed sadly.

'I have the unfortunate task of having to fire somebody this morning.' Hael and Castiel exchanged a glance, wondering if Lucius had been caught with Toni, but to their disappointment, he appeared with their pot of coffee a moment later. Hael pointedly ignored him, and he didn't hang around.

'That's too bad, Chip,' Colette commiserated. 'What happened?'

'I found out that one of my staff members is a thief. There's been a spate of wallet thefts around entertainment and hospitality venues in the tri-state area the last few months. Everything from nightclubs in Chattanooga to places like this. Last night, Arthur Ketch had his stolen during the poker game.'

'That's terrible! How did you figure out who did it?' Cain asked.

'Arthur's wife Toni remembers seeing one of the dance staff, Dean Winchester, hanging around the table not long before he realised it was gone. I asked him if he had an alibi for the time in question, and he said he was alone in his room reading. There aren't any books in Dean's room.' He shook his head. 'Obviously we have to let him go.'

'No!' Castiel cried out, and all heads turned his way. 'I mean- maybe Dean didn't do it.'

'Stay out of this, Castiel,' Cain warned firmly, but Castiel ignored him.

'Mr Harrington, do you actually have any evidence that Dean did this?'

'We didn't find the wallets on him, if that's what you mean, but he had plenty of time to get rid of them before this morning.'

'So the answer is no. You're firing somebody because of completely circumstantial evidence!' Castiel raged. 'It could have been anybody. Maybe some of the other poker players. Maybe it was the Starks, I saw Mrs Stark with a bunch of wallets in her purse just a couple of days ago!'

'Castiel James Novak, you do not go around accusing innocent people of theft,' Cain hissed.

'And you said nightclubs in Chattanooga… well, I was at one last week, and I saw them there too.' Castiel looked at his parents out of the corner of his eye and could tell they were shocked. 'I'm not saying they definitely did it, I'm just saying the evidence is at least as strong against them as it is against Dean.'

Chip straightened to his full, not very substantial height. 'The Starks are guests. I have an eyewitness who placed Dean at the scene, and he has no alibi. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an employee to fire.'

'Dean was with me!' Castiel shouted. 'All night. We were together. He couldn't have taken it because I was with him the whole time in his room.'

The shocked silence in the room was broken after a few moments by the screech of Cain's chair as he stood and stormed from the room. Chip glared at Castiel before also leaving without a word. Hael put a comforting hand on Castiel's shoulder, and to his surprise, Colette did the same on the opposite side.

'That was very brave, Castiel,' Colette said gently. 'I'm sure your father isn't upset because Dean is a man. We don't care about that sort of thing, either of us.'

Castiel shook his head. 'Thanks, Mom. I know why he's upset, but it's all a misunderstanding. Dean is a good person.'

'If you care about him, he must be.' She paused and asked with her voice lowered, 'Did you really go to a nightclub in Chattanooga?'

'Um, yes, that night I came to get Dad really late? Dean and I performed a dance during a show there.' He prayed that she wouldn't ask any more details.

Colette merely nodded. 'That explains the glitter on everything.'

'I told you it wasn't mine,' Hael grinned.

With his appetite for breakfast ruined, Castiel decided that it was time to confront his father. Colette and Hael agreed to wait a while before going back to the bungalow, where Cain was sitting on the deck watching the last of the mist burn off. Taking a deep breath, Castiel approached him.

'Dad, I'm sorry I lied to you. But you lied too.' Cain looked up with a frown. 'You told me everyone was alike and deserved a fair break. But you meant everyone who is like you. You told me you wanted me to change the world, to make it better. But you meant by becoming a lawyer or an economist rather than getting my hands dirty. Meet a nice girl at Stanford and have a respectable middle-class life. I'm not proud of myself for hiding my feelings for Dean from you, and for sneaking around. But you refused to listen when I tried to explain, made judgements about Dean based on class, and treated me like a child. I'm in this family too; you can't keep giving me the silent treatment.'

As if to make him look a liar, Cain looked away from Castiel and out to the landscape again without replying. Castiel continued anyway.

'There are some things about me that aren't what you thought. I definitely would rather have told you that I'm bisexual in a better way than how it came out this morning, for a start. But if you love me, you have to love all the things about me.' The tears started to fall now, but Castiel carried on even as his voice shook. 'And I love you. I'm sorry I let you down. I'm so sorry, Daddy. But you let me down too.'

When it became obvious that Cain wasn't going to respond, Castiel left him to his thoughts. He could only hope that the message would get through eventually. In the meantime, he had to talk to Dean. Unfortunately, he wasn't in his cabin, nor in Lisa's or Sam's. When he couldn't even find him in the dance studio, he began to worry that it was too late, but then he saw Dean jogging from the hotel patio towards him.

'Cas! I've been looking all over for you.'

'I've been looking for you.'

'You'll never guess what happened. Your sister told Chip Harrington that she saw Toni Bevell-Ketch with Lucius Shurley last night, so she couldn't have been telling the truth about seeing me steal the wallet.'

'Seriously?'

'Yeah. Lucius denied it, of course, but before anything else could happen, the freakin' cops showed up and arrested Don and Maggie Stark!'

'You're kidding!'

'I'm completely serious. Apparently, they've been under investigation for a while, and their fingerprints got connected to some evidence related to one of the thefts. They opened her purse and Arthur's wallet was there.'

'Oh my god, I was right,' Castiel laughed. 'They can't fire you now.' Dean's face fell. 'What?'

'I'm out, Cas.'

Realisation dawned. 'They still fired you because of me.'

Dean nodded. 'And if I leave quietly, I'll still get my summer bonus,' he added bitterly.

'Well that's just fucking bullshit!' Castiel shouted. 'I did it all for nothing. I hurt my family, you lost your job anyway- it was all for nothing!'

'Not for nothing!' Dean argued. 'Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before. It means everything to me.'

Castiel scoffed. 'You were right. You can't win no matter what you do.'

Dean grabbed him by the shoulders. 'Listen to me. I don't want to hear that from you. _You_ can. You can do anything you put your mind to.' 

'I used to think so. Now I'm not so sure.' Dean let his arms drop, and Castiel missed the touch immediately. 'So what's your plan now?'

'Gotta pack up my stuff. They said I can leave first thing tomorrow. At least they let Sam stay.'

'Can I see you later?'

Dean smiled and cupped his cheek. 'You better.' They smiled at each other, but Dean's eyes flicked over Castiel's shoulder. 'I think your mom and sister are looking for you.' Castiel turned to see them waving at him. 'I'll catch you after, OK?' They hugged before Dean walked away with a wave to the three of them.

'He really is very handsome,' Colette said conspiratorially. 'Gotta love a dancer's butt.'

'Mom!' Castiel and Hael cried out in shock before the three of them dissolved into giggles. They walked arm-in-arm on the lawn, and Castiel turned to Hael. 'Thank you for telling Chip about Lucius and Toni. You didn't have to do that.'

Hael booped his nose. 'Yes, I did. If they're firing Dean for consorting with a guest, it's only fair that Lucius gets in trouble too.'

'They didn't believe it, did they?'

Hael shrugged. 'Unlike you, those two liars weren't about to admit it. But I feel better for doing it anyway.'

'Mom, do you think Dad's going to make us leave today?' Castiel asked, and Hael looked horrified at the prospect of missing the show.

'Absolutely not. I'll hide the car keys if I have to,' Colette promised. 'It's only one more day, he can suck it up.'


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking this journey with me! I hope you've enjoyed it, and don't forget to give the art post some love!
> 
> (Oh, and full disclosure, I've expressed my own feelings on _Livin' On a Prayer_ through Dean. It is a scientifically accurate point of view.)

There was a final rehearsal that afternoon for the show, so Hael and Colette split off to return to the main building while Castiel returned to the bungalow. As he approached, he realised that Dean was knocking on the door. He was about to say something when Cain opened the door.

'Hello Dr Novak. I'm sorry to bother you, but, uh… Look, I'm going anyway, and I know what you must be thinking.'

Cain stepped out angrily. 'You don't know anything at all about me.' 

'I know you want Cas to be like you,' Dean retorted. 'The kind of person people look up to. But sir, Cas is already like that. If you could just see-'

Cain poked a finger at Dean's chest. 'Don't you tell me what to see. I see someone in front of me who got his partner in trouble, then let her have a dangerous chemical abortion while he moved on to an innocent young boy like my son.'

Dean didn't bother to defend himself. 'Yeah, I guess that's what you _would_ see,' he said bitterly, and stalked away. Castiel decided to follow him, and once they were far enough from the bungalow, called out to him. Dean whirled around in surprise. 'Cas?'

'Hey. Uh, I saw you leaving my place.' Dean blushed. 'I'm sorry my dad talked to you like that.'

'Eh, whatever. He's made up his mind, I can't change it, end of story. I just wanted to stick up for you like you did for me.'

'I appreciate you trying. Maybe we can go back to your room and I can show you how grateful I am?'

Dean flashed his flirtiest grin. 'That sounds like an awesome idea.' He grabbed Castiel's hand, and they ran all the way back to Dean's cabin.

A while later, sweaty, sticky and breathless in Dean's arms, Castiel let his tears fall. 'I can't imagine being here even one day without you.'

'But you'll have so much more free time for croquet or whatever,' Dean teased. 'Long walks with April, getting sawn in a bunch of pieces. The time will fly by.'

'Ha ha.' Castiel sighed and hugged Dean tightly. 'I can't believe we only have one more night.'

'Yeah, about that,' Dean replied hesitantly. 'I was thinking I might leave tonight.'

'What? Why?'

'I need to make some more money, Cas. I got Sammy's college expenses to think of, and Lisa and Ben are gonna have to leave here with the season ending. So I'm heading up to Pierre to take that mechanic job, and the sooner I get there, the sooner I start earning.'

'But Dean, you didn't want to do that.'

'Not really got a choice anymore, sweetheart.'

Castiel let his head droop onto Dean's chest. 'I'm sorry. This is my fault.'

'Shh, don't say that. It was worth it, Cas. _You_ were worth it. I had the time of life, and I'll never be sorry.' Dean tilted Castiel's face up and kissed him.

'Neither will I.'

**********

Castiel hated waking up alone in the bedroom of the family bungalow the next morning. The memory of standing with Sam, Lisa and Ben to wave Dean off still felt like a punch to the gut. The prospect of Dean visiting Sam at Stanford hadn't come up again, and it sounded like, with Lisa and Ben planning to end up with him in South Dakota, he would be unlikely to leave there anytime soon. Castiel couldn't shake the nagging suspicion that he'd never see Dean again, and that thought made their last full day at the resort drag painfully slowly. The next morning, they would head back to Illinois and try to put the painful events of Charming Acres behind them. Given how this vacation had gone, Castiel wouldn't be surprised if his father refused to take another one ever again.

Hael was particularly kind to him all day, and he thought that if nothing else, it was nice that this fiasco had served to help repair his relationship with his older sister. In the evening, she helped him choose a nice outfit and do his hair, and they walked up to the main building arm in arm.

A lavish spread awaited them at dinner, but neither Castiel nor Cain were in the mood to clear their plates. Once the last course was cleared, everyone was ushered into the ballroom for the show. Chairs were set up in rows in the main part of the room, with small round tables set up along the walls. One of these was reserved for the Novaks, the better for Cain and Colette to set down their drinks (single malt Scotch and something fancy with a tiny umbrella, respectively). Castiel took advantage of their table's tucked away position to make himself as unobtrusive as possible in a corner seat.

Members of staff began to file into the room as well, with most of the entertainment staff standing at the back while the waiters were apparently allowed seats. When a group of them walked past their table, Cain stood up to follow.

'Lucius!' he called out, and Castiel rolled his eyes at the simpering smirk Lucius gave his father.

'Dr Novak! I hope you had a wonderful time at Charming Acres.'

Cain flinched slightly but recovered before Lucius could notice. He handed Lucius a fat envelope. 'Of course. Here's a little something to thank you for taking such good care of us this summer, to help you through med school.'

Lucius accepted the envelope with another unctuous smile. 'You're too kind, doc. Oh, and I also wanted to thank you for taking care of the Lisa situation. I guess we all get into messes.'

'What?'

Lucius realised his mistake. 'I thought Castiel told you. Look, I'm not sure, Lisa said so, but girls like that are liable to pin it on any guy around.'

Cain's face was like that thunder as he snatched the envelope back out of Lucius's hands and stormed back to the table without another word. His eyes darted towards Castiel, an unreadable expression on his face, but he didn't say anything, choosing instead to drain his glass. The joy of vindication on Dean's behalf made Castiel smile in what he was certain was an unpleasantly smug manner.

Once the audience had settled down, Chip introduced the final show, and when her turn came around, Hael performed her Britney Spears as admirably as possible given the musical arrangement. When Chip came back on stage after the last act, there was a murmur of surprise in the crowd. Castiel managed to pick up from the next table over that there would usually be a final dance to round off the performance, and Castiel remembered Dean's conversation with April about the Pachanga. It figured that without Dean there, the show couldn't go on.

Before Castiel could feel too upset about it, another murmur started in the crowd, but this time from the back of the room near the doors. This was followed by cheers and applause from the resort staff who had been standing along the back wall. Curious, Castiel turned to look at what caused it and was shocked to see Dean walking towards him with a determined expression on his face. He could hardly believe what was happening until Dean was standing right in front of them, his face bearing that look of displeasure that made his dimples come out.

'Nobody puts Cas in a corner.' He held out his hand and winked. 'Come on.' Castiel took it still feeling dazed and unsure of what was going on.

Cain stood up with a scowl, but Colette grabbed his arm and pulled him back. 'Sit down, Cain,' she said sharply. That put a smile on Castiel's face as he hurried to keep up with Dean's pace.

'Nobody puts me in a corner, huh?' he teased as they walked up towards the stage in a room that was now stunned into silence.

'Hey, I'm a romantic son of a bitch,' Dean smirked back. They climbed the steps up onto the stage, the shocked expressions of the performers who had been taking their bows making Castiel feel a bit unnerved, but Dean just stepped up to the microphone and addressed the audience. 'Sorry about the disruption, folks, but I always do the last dance of the season. This year somebody told me not to, and I almost left it at that.

Then I realised that I've spent my whole life letting people step on me just because they had more money, or thought they were smarter or better than me, and I didn't need to do that anymore. Because this summer I met somebody who's taught me that there are people willing to stand up for other people no matter what it costs them. Somebody who's taught me about the kind of person I want to be: Castiel Novak. And now we're gonna do our dance our way.'

Castiel stood there in shock, Dean's words warming him to his very core. To think that he'd had such an effect on a man like Dean made him feel once again like he really could do anything. There was a shuffling sound as the stage was cleared, and Dean tossed his leather jacket to the side of the stage before handing a cassette to Sam, who had magically appeared at the sound system. The opening chords of _All My Love_ began to play, and Dean extended his hand to Castiel. 'Dance with me, Cas?'

There was a collective gasp when Castiel responded with a kiss, and a scraping of chairs indicated that some members of the audience weren't prepared to witness what was about to happen. When Castiel opened his eyes, however, he saw that most people were watching attentively, including his own family. With a sudden feeling of sharp focus, he took the first steps of the choreography he and Dean had learned over the past week.

Like their somewhat less family-friendly dance for The Caboose, this one began with simple steps and grew in complexity, with spins and footwork that soon had the audience cheering them on. When the time came for the lift, Dean raised an eyebrow in question, and Castiel nodded enthusiastically. Wrapping himself around Dean's waist, he leaned back to exactly the right point, his hands lightly gripping Dean's forearms as they spun around in perfect time with the beat. The crowd was clearly impressed if the whooping and clapping were any indication. Dean pulled him back up as the song began to fade out, and they ended in the position of the original choreography, with their foreheads touching.

For a moment, there was complete silence, and then the room erupted with a standing ovation. Castiel dropped his feet back to the floor to save Dean any further strain from holding his weight but didn't add even an inch of space between them. As the next song on Dean's mixtape started playing, they just swayed together, but still the applause didn't stop, so Dean nudged him to step out and take a bow.

As they stood for the last time, the music got turned up, and to Castiel's surprise, some members of the audience stood up and began to dance. Soon the entire crowd seemed to be joining in, and he looked at Dean in amazement.

'It's Bon Jovi, Cas,' he shrugged as if that explained everything. 'Everybody rocks out to _Livin' On a Prayer_ , it's just science.' He tugged Castiel's hand, and they hopped off the stage to join in the general mêlée.

'Thank you for what you said up there,' Castiel shouted to be heard above the music. 'I hope you know the feeling is mutual. I'm stronger and braver with you next to me.' Dean tried to brush off the compliment, but Castiel grabbed his shoulders and made him meet his eyes. 'I'm falling in love with you, Dean.'

Dean's eyes widened, and then a smile bloomed on his handsome face. 'Awesome.' He pulled Castiel in for a kiss that was slightly less than appropriate for the ballroom of Charming Acres, but they were well beyond caring. 'Me too, you know. With you.'

'Awesome,' Castiel agreed.

People kept passing them to congratulate them on their performance, but when Cain approached, they both froze. 'Mr Winchester. I know you weren't the one responsible for Lisa's predicament, and I apologise both for the assumption and my behaviour stemming from that assumption. When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong.' He stuck out his hand, and Dean shook it eagerly, still looking stunned. Cain then turned to Castiel and wrapped him in a tight hug. 'You looked wonderful out there, son.'

'Thanks, Daddy,' Castiel whispered, choked up.

Cain clapped his back a few times before letting go. 'Now get back out there and show 'em how it's done.'

Dean smiled and extended his hand to continue their dance. The slight tremble in Dean's fingers told Castiel that this wasn't just an invitation to do some steps to a tune; his life would change if he accepted.

He took Dean's hand and danced into the night.

Epilogue

Palo Alto in September was in the mid-seventies, making it cool enough to move into the dorm without too much sweaty discomfort. Castiel wasn't surprised to find that his roommate had arrived before him.

'Hey Cas,' Sam said with an easy grin. 'Drive over go OK?'

'Hello Sam. It was fine, thank you. My parents are bringing the next load up. I'm glad we didn't fly.'

'Yeah. What happened the other week… that was fucked up, man.' Castiel nodded solemnly. Watching the World Trade Center fall had been traumatic but had made him more determined than ever to make a difference in the world. 'You're probably never going to get Dean on a plane now, so don't plan a Hawaiian honeymoon or anything.'

'Haha, very funny. How is Dean doing?'

'Good, he's got some classes to teach today, but he should be coming over to meet us later.'

Castiel smiled as he unpacked his things. When Cain had discovered that Lucius was the one who had gotten Lisa pregnant, he had decided to give the generous tip to Dean instead. It had been enough, combined with Dean, Lisa and Sam's summer paycheques, to rent out a tiny, run-down dance studio near the university and set up Dean and Lisa's dance school. Over far-too-expensive long-distance calls, Castiel had heard Dean describe the renovations he was doing himself on the cheap to get the place ready since they had moved in August. The grand opening had luckily been just before September eleventh, but their customers had already proven loyal; Dean's theory was that after a big tragedy like that, people wanted to feel alive, and dancing did that.

Castiel's parents dropped off the last couple of boxes before heading off to check into their hotel with a promise to see them at dinner, and Castiel chatted with Sam as they finished arranging the room to their satisfaction.

'So were you not even gonna tell me that you'd gotten here already?' said a voice from the doorway, and Castiel ran over with bright smile on his face.

'Dean!' They embraced tightly, enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms for the first time in weeks. 'I missed you.'

'Missed you too, sweetheart. Come here.' He drew back just far enough to be able to claim Castiel's lips, kissing him breathless. The tiny knot of fear that Castiel had been harbouring about whether Dean would still want him dissolved completely.

'I'm actually still here, so if you guys could save being gross for when I'm not in the same room, that would be awesome,' Sam announced, and they pulled apart sheepishly.

'Sorry Sammy. Just haven't seen my boyfriend in a while.'

'It's Sam, and I know. That's why I'm leaving right now. This is my bed and my desk,' he said, pointing at them, 'and they're off limits. We're having dinner with the Novaks in an hour and a half.' He patted them both on the shoulder and closed the door on his way out.

'So,' Dean said with his trademark smirk, 'an hour and a half. What could we possibly do with all that time?'

Castiel was already unbuttoning his shorts. 'I'm sure we'll think of something.'


End file.
